The Forces that Make Us Grow
by stranger 86
Summary: My story of Lily and James growing up and coming to understand the place they hold in the lives of eachother, and the story of the circumstances and situations that brought them together.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related characters and themes are owned by J. K. Rowling, and Warner Brothers. No profit is being made from the submission of this story and no copyright infringement is intended.

Author's Note: I've started other stories in the past that were not that good, but after several years I now feel like trying again. This story focuses on how I think Lily and James came together, I will try to be as original as I can, and I will try to stick as close canon as I can. Please give this story a fair chance and know that plot suggestions and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated.

The Forces that Make Us Grow

Epilogue

As far as relationships go, theirs was fairly simple, at first. She thought him arrogant, self-centered, lazy, and at times mean, even cruel. He thought her smart, beautiful, loyal, and at times reclusive, and pretentious. These thoughts and assumptions held by the two of them were made by often superficial encounters occurring at perhaps the most unflattering and inopportune moments, during a period in life filled with self-doubt and self-consciousness. As people grow and change, mature and learn, their relationships also grow, change and mature sometimes in very surprising ways. Such was the relationship between Lily Evans and James Potter.

The tumultuous relationship between Lily and James began when they were 11 years old, their first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Things at this time were very simple, uncomplicated. There were classes and friends, teachers and detentions. Each new year at Hogwarts brought new and different challenges, difficult and dangerous magic, and new larger complications to relationships caused by the many uncertainties often associated with growing up.

Fifth year at Hogwarts brought James's and Lily's arguments to an entirely new level. It was one argument in particular that stood out that year, the fight by the lake.

Flashback:

"You - wait," Severus Snape panted, staring up at James with an expression of purest loathing. "You - wait...:

"Wait for what?" said Sirius Black coolly. "What're you going to do, Snivelly, wipe your nose on us?"

Snape let of a stream of mixed swearwords and hexes, but his wand being ten feet way nothing happened.

"Wash out your mouth," said James coldly. "_Scourgify!"_

Pink soap bubbles streamed from Snape's mouth at once; the froth was covering his lips, making him gag, choking him-

"Leave him ALONE!"

James and Sirius looked around. James's free hand jumped to his hair.

It was a girl from a group near the lake edge. She had thick, dark red hair that fell to her shoulders and startlingly green almond-shaped eyes.

"All right Evans?" said James, and the tone of his voice was suddenly pleasant, deeper, more mature.

"Leave him alone," Lily repeated. She was looking at James with every sign of great dislike. "What's he done to you?"

"Well," said James, appearing to deliberate the point, "it's, more the fact that he _exists_, if you know what I mean..."

Many of the surrounding watchers laughed, Sirius and Wormtail included, but Lupin, intent on his book, didn't, and neither did Lily.

"You think you're funny," she said coldly. "But you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him _alone_."

"I will if you go out with me, Evans," said James quickly. "Go on... Go out with me, and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again."

Behind him, the Impediment Jinx was wearing off of Snape. He was beginning to inch toward his fallen wand, spitting our soapsuds as he crawled.

"I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid," said Lily.

"Take the curse off him, then!"

James sighed deeply, then turned to Snape and muttered the countercurse.

"There you go," he said, as Snape struggled to his feet, "you're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus-"

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!"

Lily blinked. "Fine," she said cooly. "I won't bother in future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, _Snivellus._"

"Apologize yo Evans!" James roared at Snape, his wand pointed threateningly at him.

"I don't want _you_ to make him apologize," Lily shouted, rounding on James. "You're as bad as he is..."

"What?" yelped "I'd never call you a - you-know-what!"

"Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can- I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the groud with that fat head on it. You make me SICK."

She turned on her heel and hurried away.

"Evans!" James shouted after her, "Hey EVANS!"

But she didn't look back.

End Flashback.

It was this intense argument that set a drastic change in motion that would forever alter the lives of Lily and James as well as the lives of all witches and wizards in the Wizarding World.

NOTE: The flashback is a scene taken almost word-for-word from the American addition of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, however some of the scene was left out or changed slightly for clarity. It can be found on pages 646-648 if you would like to read the whole thing, I tried to use just enough to get the main point across.


	2. Chapter 2

A young man with dark hair and glasses sat staring blankly into the hearth of his childhood home. Never before had he ever felt so uncomfortable sitting on the couch upon which he was currently settled. As he sat, memories of other times sitting were he was flashed through his mind. As a child with his mother reading him stories, with his father telling him all the exciting stories of his missions for the aurors. Never again would happy memories be formed upon the couch.

The last ministry official was standing in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen watching the young man stare blankly into the hearth. The man knew not what to say to comfort the young man. He knew that the life of the young man would be forever changed by the events that had happened the night before, and no words would relieve the deepest ache of losing one's parents as the young man before him had.

"Mr. Potter?"

"James…"

"What?," queried that ministry official,

"My name is James, Mr. Potter was my father."

"Right. Well, I need to return to the ministry to file my report, if you need anything just let me know." The man turned to leave, but hesitated.

"I'm sorry James, your parents were the best sort of people around. We will find out who did this, I promise." James looked up at the man with dull, lost eyes.

"Thanks."

The man finally left, and James was alone. The house was dark and quiet by the time James finally left the sofa. He wandered aimlessly through the house not knowing what he was looking for or where he was going. He stopped on the stairs looking at a portrait painted of his family less than a year ago. He felt his heart clench painfully as he saw the happy faces of his parents smiling and waving at him, their oil based faces lacking the once lively expressions he remembered of his parents. He was alone. He forced his eyes away from the faces of his parents and knew he couldn't stay there. Too many memories to remind him of all that he had lost. He ran up the last few stairs into his room and hastily packed his trunk removing his money pouch and continued outside to call the Knight Bus. The Leaky Cauldron would be his new home until school started in a few weeks. He had too many things to do before then.

Planning his parent's funeral the next day was not how James Potter had intended to spend that last few weeks of his summer. Spending time with his friends Remus, Sirius, and Peter was what he had planned, but those plans would not come to be. He had no idea what to say to his friends, he really had no idea what to say to anyone. He spent most of his time lost in his thoughts, the rest he spent sending owls to his distant relatives and ministry with the notification of his parents deaths and the time and place of their service. He would grieve later. He would think later.

* * *

In a small house far away a young woman watched as her sister introduced her boyfriend. The man was large and appeared stuffy and pompous. He stared disdainfully at the somewhat organized chaos that was her home. The young woman felt a flash of anger at the man's clearly superior attitude. She reminded herself internally of the promise she had made to herself when her sister had first mentioned bringing her boyfriend to meet the family. The relationship of the two sisters had been tense sense one sister discovered her special gift. The young woman vowed to not speak a bad word against her sister or her boyfriend so as to try and fix their relationship. All summer she had even gone as far as to attempt to engage in friendly conversation with her sister to little effect, her sister was simply not interested. The young woman did know however, that her parents appreciated her effort to reunite with her sister, and for her, her parents appreciation was enough.

Her summer had been much what she expected it to be. She completed her school work, worked odd jobs for her neighbors, and occasionally went to visit her friends in Diagon Alley. She was anxiously awaiting the start of the next school. Her sixth year was soon to begin and she hoped this year would bring new interesting studies. Her thoughts were interrupted by her sister's introduction.

"…and this is my sister Lily." Her sister Petunia said with her nose in the air, as if she smelled something distasteful.

"Pleasure to meet you Vernon" Lily offered her hand to him which he took and shook with more than a little apprehension. She wasn't exactly sure what Vernon's reply was as is sounded more like a pained grunt than an actual human reply. She ignored it and followed her parents into the dining room as dinner was about to be served. The conversation at dinner was concentrated around Vernon and his position at a drill company, which suited Lily just fine, as it saved her from forcing herself to be friendly to a man that clearly thought very little of her parent's home. Lily was sure that Petunia had told Vernon that she had some infectious disease as he refused to so much as look at her. Thankfully, the rest of the evening passed without incident. As Lily was preparing for bed that night her mother looked in on her.

"Lily, your father and I wanted to thank you. You've made and obvious effort with Petunia lately and we wanted you to know how proud of you we are. We do know Petunia doesn't make it easy, but…."

"I know mum, Petunia and I used to be close, and over the years I've realized how much I miss that. It just gets difficult when it seems she could care less. I don't know if we will ever get back what we used to have, but I want Petunia to know that I am willing to try if only given the chance."

Lily's mother closed the distance between her and her daughter and embraced her. "I love you Lily"

"I love you too, good night mum."

" 'Night Lily"

As she lay down to sleep that night, Lily felt a sense of peace over come her as she remembered the talk with her mother. For now, the support and approval of her parents would be enough for her to keep trying to reach her sister. She fell asleep that night and slept pleasantly, completely unaware of the terrified dreams and gut wrenching pain of the young man.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Disclaimer- Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling and Warner Brothers. No infringement is intended by this story.

James Potter awoke with a gasp. He sat up slowly and wiped the sleep and tears from his eyes and untangled his body from the sheets of the uncomfortable bed at the Leaky Cauldron. The dream that caused him to awaken was still fresh in his mind. He glanced at the clock noticing the time glaring back at him in the dim light of the morning, it was only six o'clock. Knowing that further sleep would elude him, he got up and showered. He was meeting his friends at ten to get their supplies for school and decided that he had time to visit his parents as he did every day since they had been buried.

The small church lay at the top of a small hill. The sun was beginning its rise into the sky just above the steeple of the church creating a beautiful vision. Standing a few yards away, James couldn't help but feel a little more at peace here. He continued to walk, passing through a small gate into a small courtyard that led to the small cemetery. He traveled the well worn path to his parents gravestones and kneeled in front of them. A large number of flowers lay in front of the stones provided by friends and family. James sat there in silence for a moment trying to get his thoughts in order.

"I wish you were here. So much has happened and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do now. I'm sorry I couldn't help you." James' voice was choked by tears as he wept in front of the cold granite stone.

"I wish I was stronger, I wish I had done something." After finishing this statement, James seemed to be overcome with a new resolve. His posture straightened and his tears stopped.

"I promise I will be stronger and I will become the man you knew I could be. I don't care what it takes I will be better." James stood up, brushed off his pants, placed a kiss to the gravestone and with one last long look left the cemetery. For the first time since his parent's deaths almost three weeks prior, James felt a new sense of purpose overtake him. He would be the man his parents wanted him to be, he would be the person he knew would make them proud.

With this new sense of purpose taking over he made his way back to the Leaky Cauldron and into Diagon Alley to meet his friends.

Also making his way into Diagon Alley was a young man with long dark hair and sharp blue eyes with a hint of mischief hiding behind what could only be described as a look of concern. His name was Sirius Black. He walked purposefully and confidently toward Gringotts where he was to meet his friends. If asked, he would say that the concerned look in his eye was because he was worried about his friend James. Sirius had seen the dead, lifeless look in James' eyes at his parent's funeral and hoped he could help somehow. Sirius vowed to do whatever he could to help his friend, it's what friends and brothers do. Sirius did in fact see James as his brother, despite not having any biological relationship to each other. James had been there for Sirius when no one else was, Sirius vowed to do the same.

Upon looking up, Sirius noticed two boys about his age approaching. He smiled at them knowing them to be his other best friends, Remus and Peter. Remus was relatively tall with medium brown hair who walked a bit stiffly, likely due to his condition as a werewolf which was only known by the four friends. After making their greetings, Sirius changed the subject to something that had been on the minds of all three of them.

"Have any of you heard from James since the funeral?"

"No, I'm beginning to get worried about him." Answered Remus.

"I haven't heard anything either, what do you think we should do?" Asked Peter.

"We just need to make him understand that we are here if he needs us, then go from there." The other two agreed with Sirius that support was the best answer for now. They only had to wait a few more minutes for James to show up and they all realized that something had changed with James.

"Hey guys, ready to get our supplies?" He said with a small but genuine smile. Sirius and the others decided that a more serious discussion could wait and that they would just enjoy this day together. After getting their money they left the bank and started their shopping.

Lily Evans was also set to meet her friends in Diagon Alley and was excited to get the books and for the school year to begin. Her attempts at getting closer to her sister were failing, but Lily was determined to make a breakthrough. Her thoughts today, however, were on her friends and the beginning of school.

A girl with brown hair approached Lily.

"Lily!"

"Hey Marlene, how've been?" Marlene McKinnon had been Lily's best friend since they had been partnered for a potions assignment in their first year.

"I've been good, how is the campaign with your sister going?"

"Not well. It seems that no matter what I do, she can't see past the fact that I'm a witch and she isn't."

"Why keep trying then?" Asked Marlene.

"I keep trying because I know it makes my parents happy, and I miss the friendship Petunia and I had when we were younger.

Another girl around their age approached. She was short with a round face and short dark hair, her name was Alice Whitford. They completed their conversation, took a short trip to Gringotts to get their money and then they were off to do their shopping.

The girls entered Flourish and Blots to get their books for the school year. Before they could enter the store, the door opened and Sirius, Remus, and Peter left the store. What happened next surprised Lily and all of her friends. James, who was holding the door, waved the girls through. While the act itself was rather surprising, it was the fact that he wasn't messing up his hair or smiling cheekily at them. Marlene and Alice passed followed by Lily, James gave the girls a small but genuine smile then turned and left with his friends. His usual arrogant attitude was nowhere in sight.

As surprised by this action as Lily and her friends were, James' friends were equally as surprised. Sirius had trouble keeping his draw closed, Peter was clearly confused. Remus looked at James and gave a little smile. If nothing else was clear, it was obvious that both Lily and her friends, as well as Sirius, Remus and Peter would all have something to think about and talk about for awhile. What exactly was going on with James Potter?


	4. Chapter 4

I wanted to start out this chapter by thanking I'm afraid of jelly fish. Thank you for taking the time to review I really appreciate it.

Chapter 4

James and his friends finished their shopping in the early afternoon. James had found himself having a good time with his friends. With his new sense of purpose he felt he was able to relax a little with his friends. Their last stop of the day was to the joke shop. The joke shop had been a favorite stop for the boys since the first time they all visited Diagon Alley together before their second year. The purpose of the annual trip was to collect a horde of joke products to play on unsuspecting Hogwarts students, usually first years and Slytherins. When they entered the store, James knew that his usual practice would need to change.

As the rest of his friends were browsing through the store and picking out prank products, James sat back and watched, never touching a thing. In his mind, the man his parents wanted him to be was one who focused on his studies. Sirius turned and saw that James' hands were empty of products and questioned him.

"James, I realize there are so many products to choose from, but I assure you anything you pick we will find a use for." Sirius said this with a smirk. James smiled back but said in reply;

"I think this year I need to take it easy with the pranks." James waited for his statement to register in the minds of his friends.

"What? Why?" It was clear that Sirius was so shocked that his questions were less than eloquent.

"I've just been thinking lately. I realized that I needed to make a change in my life, and taking it easy on the jokes is a part of that change."

"Is this about Evans?" Sirius was talking about Lily.

"No, this is about my parents." James paused. "I really don't want to talk about this here. Can it wait until later?" This time it was Remus who answered. Remus and Peter had been watching the exchange between James and Sirius with fascination.

"Sure James, it can wait. Come on Sirius, Peter, lets go pay for these."

James was sure that his friends were very curious about his change of attitude and wasn't sure he was ready to talk about his new purpose but he knew he would need to in order to keep his friends with him. He only hoped his friends would understand why he needed to do this, and besides, he wouldn't completely give up pranks, they just wouldn't be his complete focus.

* * *

Lily and her friends finished around the same time as James and his friends and they decided to go the Florean Fortescue's shop to get ice cream before they parted ways. The first topic of discussion was James's action at the bookstore.

"What was up with Potter earlier?" Lily asked. Marlene was the first to answer as she knew that Lily would not know about James's parents.

"I'm not entirely sure but I have a feeling it has something to do with his parents. A few weeks ago, there was an attack in Godric's Hollow. That's the small village where Potter and his parents live. The details are not well known, but Potter and his parents went to try and help and his parents were killed. James saw the whole thing."

Lily was shocked and horrified. She couldn't image losing her parents, let alone watching them die. Despite her animosity toward James, she felt a wave of sympathy rise within her. She really had no idea what to say. She hated herself for thinking it, but a part of her believed it was only the shock that had made him act humanly earlier. Once the shock wore off, he would probably be back to his usual prattish self. She did however, vow to herself that as long as he was acting humanly, she would return the favor.

The friends were silent for a few minutes after the talk about the Potters, each lost in their own thoughts of sympathy. They slowly moved to more lighthearted topics and parted ways so they could pack for the train ride the next day.

* * *

James and his friends had finished at the joke shop and Sirius led them inside the Leaky Cauldron. He wanted his friend to finish his explanation from earlier. They settled down in the room James had been staying in, and Sirius wasted no time getting right to the point.

"James, what did you mean, when you said that quitting pranks was because of your parents?" James sighed, he knew this was coming. With a deep breath he began to explain.

"I went to the cemetery this morning, like I do every morning. This morning was different though. When I was there I realized that I wasn't living up to their expectations. They never said anything, but I know how disappointed my mum was every time we got in trouble. I want her to be proud of me, so I'm not completely quitting pranks, I'm just shifting my focus to school, then pranks."

"I think we can respect that." It was Remus who spoke because Sirius seemed to be struggling with a response. Remus, though, looked proud. While he enjoyed pranks as much as anybody, he also understood that there was a time and a place for them.

"I think your mum and dad would be really be proud of you for this James. I also think it is the right idea anyway."

"Remus is right, if this is what you want to do, then we will be right behind you. Besides, no one said I couldn't play my own pranks." Sirius had come out of his shocked silence and remembered his promise. His remark made them all laugh.

"We can still have fun in other ways, like the full moons." Peter said this and the other three agreed with him.

After his friends had left that night, James lay in bed looking at the ceiling and smiled. His friends were the best you could ask for, he vowed to himself that he would keep his promise and work hard to make his parents proud. He turned over and fell asleep thinking about the last visit he would be able to make to his parents until the holidays, and the start of his sixth year at Hogwarts.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling and Warner Brothers, no infringement is intended.

Author's Note: I realized as I was writing that James seemed to suddenly appear everywhere. I had been saying that they would be starting their sixth year, but I should have said seventh year, this would allow James the ability to apparate and to use magic. So they will be starting their seventh year, I doubt I will go back to make the correction so I'm letting you know now.

Also, thank you to those who have been reviewing.

Chapter 5

The morning after James and his friends went to Diagon Alley he made his way back to the cemetery where his parents had been buried. It was time for him to do something he wasn't sure he was ready to do, it was time to say goodbye. As he knelt down in front of the gravestones and felt his heart clench painfully.

"Mum, dad, I'm leaving to Hogwarts today so I won't be able to visit for a while. Hopefully, I'll be able to on Christmas break. I miss you so much." Tears were sliding down his face as he said this. He spoke to his parents for a little while longer then he looked at his watch and realized that he needed to leave if he was going to make it to King's Cross on time.

"Well, I have to go, I'm doing what you always wanted me to do mum, and that is focus on my studies. I love you both." James stood up, sighed and walked slowly away. After collecting his things from the Leaky Cauldron he made his way to the train station where he would catch the train to Hogwarts. Once at the station he crossed through the barrier. He put his trunk in an empty compartment and went out to meet his friends.

Remus was the first to arrive, his parents following behind him. He waved to James and made his way over.

"Hey Remus, Mr. and Mrs. Lupin." James greeted.

"Hello James, how are you doing dear?" Mrs. Lupin asked James.

"I'm going about as well as could be expected, just trying to move on the way they would want me to."

"That's all you can do son." Mr. Lupin answered back.

"Want some help with your trunk Remus?" James asked. Remus nodded. James and Remus took his trunk to the same compartment James had his then went back so Remus could say good-bye to his parents. The Lupins said good-bye to Remus and Mrs. Lupin gave James a short hug and then left with her husband. Shortly after Remus' parents left, Sirius arrived alone, just after Peter arrived with his parents.

"Alright guys, let's get this show on the road." Sirius said with a grin. The friends all smiled and piled onto the train. They gathered into the compartment with their trunks and got ready for the train to start moving.

"Hey Remus, when do you have to go meet with the Head Girl?" Peter asked, he just assumed that Remus had been made Head Boy.

"I don't, I didn't make Head Boy." Remus replied. After Peter's question, James slunk down in his chair with his head down, Sirius noticed.

"James, what's wrong mate?" "I'm Head Boy. After my parents died, I wasn't sure I wanted the extra responsibility, but I'm looking forward to it, to make my parents proud. I hope you're not upset Remus."

"Not at all, to be honest, with N.E.W.T.s this year and with my monthly problem I don't see myself being able to complete the duties of Head Boy, besides I'm still a Prefect. I'm really happy for you James, your mum would be really proud, your dad too." Remus assured James.

"I better get going to the meeting. The Prefects meeting is in half an hour so I'll see you then Remus." James said as he left the cabin.

* * *

The morning of September First found Lily beginning her day with breakfast with her parents. She was packed and ready to head to school and wondered where her sister was, Lily was hoping Petunia would go see her off to school.

"Mum, where's Petunia?" Lily's mother shared a look with her husband.

"She went on a day trip with Vernon." Lily's face fell.

"Oh." She was hurt that Petunia wasn't going to the train station to say good-bye, but even more hurt that she didn't even say good-bye at all. Petunia knew she was leaving today. Lily tried to smile.

"We should head out soon. I'll go get my trunk." Her parents weren't fooled by the fake smile Lily had thrown at them. They didn't know what to do about Petunia. Lily had tried all summer to repair their relationship, while Petunia turned her back every time. They were starting to get angry. Lily's mum vowed to have a talk with Petunia when she got back from her trip.

Upstairs in her room Lily was just as upset as her mother, but not angry. She was just extremely disappointed. She really didn't know what else she could do to get her sister back. She refused to give up, it just wasn't her style. She grabbed her trunk and headed downstairs to the car and off the King's Cross.

Lily's friends were all waiting for her when she arrived. They gave her some time to say good-bye to her parents.

"Bye mum, I'll miss you, and I'll write at least once a week." Lily said while in a hug with her mother.

"I love you Lily, be careful, have fun and learn as much as you can." Lily's mum was fighting tears, even after six years of doing this, it never got easier to say good-bye to Lily, she was always the bright spot at home. Petunia was quiet most of the time, and spent most of her time with Vernon now. Lily went right into her dad's arms.

"Bye Lily-bean, have a good time at school sweetie." Lily's dad always used that nickname, and while she would never admit it, she loved it.

"Bye dad, I love you, take care of mum." Lily kissed her dad's cheek, gave her mum one last hug and rejoined her friends of the train.

After chatting with her friends a few minutes, Lily left to join the Head Boy for their meeting before they met with the prefects. Seventh year had finally begun, Lily couldn't wait.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Lily was closer to the Head cabin than James so she arrived before him. She took out a notebook and a quill with ink so she could jot down notes and present them later at the Prefects meeting. Lily was writing some of her own notes to discuss with the Head Boy when the door slid open slowly. Lily looked up to see James Potter entering the compartment.

"Hey Lily, this is the Head's compartment right?"

"Yes it is, are you Head Boy?" Lily tried not to sound too incredulous at the thought of Potter as Head Boy, but old habits die hard. James noticed the disbelief in her voice and chuckled softly.

"Yeah, I was surprised too." James did something that, under normal circumstances would have annoyed Lily, but it didn't. He swiped his hand through his hair, but it wasn't done to show off, it was done out of nervousness.

"So, where should we start?" James asked.

Lily was a little surprised that James was taking the initiative, but began with the topics she had written down. She had to admit to herself that James was much easier to deal with when he wasn't smirking and leering at her. She could easily get used to him this, but refused to get her hopes up.

James was anxious about the Head's meeting, he was pretty sure he knew who the Head Girl was going to be, he only hoped they could work together peacefully. He knew he had been an idiot in the years past and he hoped he could get Lily to understand that he really had changed, this wasn't another plan to try and win her over. He still wanted to win her over, but even that would come second to the promise he made to his parents. He got to the front most car and slowly opened the door. He was right, Lily was already inside. After getting over her initial shock at him being made Head Boy their meeting was very productive.

Remus made his way to the Head Cabin for the Prefects meeting. He only hoped that James and Lily were still both in one piece. He found them, talking quietly to each other, making last minute prefect patrol assignments. They were soon finished and waited for the other Prefects to arrive. The meeting was very smooth, it was clear to Remus that obviously James and Lily were able to focus on their duties. He felt proud for his friend James, he was really showing dedication to the promise he made to his parents. He was given his assignment for patrolling, spoke briefly to his patrol partner then waited for James who was planning his next Head meeting with Lily.

"So we'll have a meeting Tuesday after dinner in our common room." James clarifies with Lily.

"Sounds good."

"Alright, I'll see you at the feast." He started to turn away but just before he left he added, "Oh, Lily, congratulations on making Head Girl, I know how much you wanted it." Lily was presently surprised.

"Thanks James." James turned and left with Remus back to their compartment.

Sirius sprang up as soon as James entered.

"The snack cart came by while you were in the meeting so I grabbed you some chocolate frogs."

"Thanks Sirius." James said as he bit off the head of the frog.

Peter looked up from his stack of pasties to asked James how the meeting went.

"We'll Lily and I were able to get everything prepared before the Prefects arrived, so things went really smoothly." James answered.

"From what I saw, it looked liked Lily and James really worked well together." Remus added.

"Yeah we did, it was a little awkward at first. I could tell she was surprised that I had been made Head Boy but once we started talking about the Prefects things went smoothly. Hopefully we'll continue to be able to put our past behind us and focus on our duties."

"I'm sure you'll be able to James. So while you were gone I started planning my first solo prank, want to hear about it?" Sirius said with a smirk.

"You can't resist Sirius, can you." James said with a laugh. "Yeah, let's hear it."

The conversation soon switched to Sirius' prank, with James participating significantly less than he would have last year. Strangely though, James felt a strong sense of pride in himself that he was able to complete his first meeting with Lily with no complications.

As soon as Lily made it back to the compartment, Lily's friends asked a similar questions as soon as she entered the compartment.

"So, who was Head Boy Lily?" Asked Alice, Marlene's mouth was full of a pasty.

"James Potter is Head Boy." If her friends were surprised they didn't show it.

"How did the meeting go, was Potter a prat like normal?" Marlene asked as her mouth was finally free.

"No actually. He was very professional, after a little awkwardness, I was surprised that Professor Dumbledore would make him Head Boy, but after that we went right to work and accomplished a great deal. It made dealing with the Prefects really easy." Lily said. "I admit, when I first learned that he was Head Boy, I was a little worried that I would be stuck doing most of the work, but if he continues the way he was today things will run really smooth. He didn't smirk or leer at me once, I have to admit it was pleasant." She ended with a little laugh.

"I'm telling you Lily, this is James after the death of his parents. The real question is whether or not he goes back to the way things were, or if this change is permanent." Marlene said.

"For your sake, hopefully the change is permanent." Alice added.

"I hope so too." Lily said.

The friends moved onto lighter conversation for the rest of the trip. At the first view of the castle, Lily was rethinking her meeting with James. He was completely different than the James of the last years. He was focused and was concentrating on the duties required of him. She couldn't help but notice the lingering sadness behind his eyes. She wondered what the future would hold for her and James as Head Students, she hoped the James of today was going to stick around. Only time would tell. As she stepped off the train and headed to the carriages that would take her to the castle, Lily took a deep breath and smiled, this year was looking to be the best one yet.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the Property of J K Rowling, Warner Brothers, and Scholastic Books. No infringement is intended.

Chapter 7

The carriages stopped just outside the giant front doors of the castle. James and his friends jumped out and headed toward the castle where they hoped the sorting wouldn't take too long so they could eat. Lily and her friends had been in a carriage a few behind the one carrying James and his friends. As she was walking, Lily spotted what she thought would be a dangerous confrontation. Severus Snape had just stepped out of the carriage just in front of James'. As he stepped out, Snape's wand dropped to the ground, presumably from its holding place inside his robes. Lily watched as James bent down and picked up Snape's wand and handed it back to Snape then kept walking with his friends. It was difficult to tell whose facial expression was the funniest. Most of the people around would agree that it was a three way tie between Snape, Lily and Sirius. However, all three somehow managed to make their way to the Great Hall for the feast.

All throughout dinner Sirius alternated between looking incredulously at James and staring dreamily at all the desserts. Snape was shooting daggers at James, and Lily was looking between James and Severus. At this point she realized she really was going to need to talk to Potter. James, was apparently oblivious to all the attention and ate peacefully. talking to Remus about classes that would start the next day.

The feast ended with the usual announcements about staying out of the Forbidden Forest and not using magic in the corridors. The hall started to clear and James and Lily led the first years to the Gryffindor Common Room. After getting them settled they left and went to find the dorms for the Head Students. The room was located off of a portrait down the hall from the entrance to the regular common room. Even though Lily and James were both Gryffindors, they needed to be available to the entire school. The room wasn't large but it was large enough to fit all of the prefects for meetings as well as the two of them comfortably for everyday use. They each had their own room and a shared bathroom.

After getting things settled in his room, James realized that he wasn't going to be able to sleep, so he headed down to the common room he shared with Lily with his charms book. He knew that charms was the subject he was going to need to most help with if he was going to live up to his parents goal, so he figured he might as well read the chapters, which he had never done in the past. If nothing else, it would help him fall asleep. As he predicted, he was nearly finished with the first chapter when he could no longer keep his eyes open and fell asleep, with his charms text open in his lap.

That was exactly how Lily found him twenty minutes later. She had tried to fall asleep but thoughts of family kept her awake. She was always a little homesick the first few weeks away at school. She was surprised that James was down in the common room and even more surprised that he was actually making an effort to read the text before class. She was finding it more and more difficult to convince herself that the new James would just fade away with time, she was beginning to think that the new James was here to stay, she was even beginning to admit to herself that she liked this new James. His action with Snape just outside the castle really surprised her. In the past, James had always used Snape as a punching bad; a way to vent his frustrations. To see him help Snape really showed to Lily that James was making an effort. In a way, this James reminded her of herself and the effort she was putting forth to get closer to her sister.

Lily had a friendship with Snape since arriving at Hogwarts but it deteriorated the previous year. She had always hated the fact that Snape refused to be friends with her out in the open, and after a heated exchange Snape had called her a Mudblood. While he had called her a Mudblood before, it was always when other people were around, and she had assumed it was for show. When he said it to her when they were alone, she questioned her assumption, and began to think he really felt that way, at least to some extent. That argument had been the end of their friendship. Despite the end of the friendship, Lily was always civil to Severus, years of friendship could not be exchanged for hatred simply because the two had grown apart. To see James treat Severus humanly for what she thought was the first time was beginning to alter her perception of James, in much the same way as Severus calling her a Mudblood. She was really interested in seeing if she and James could possibly be friends.

She realized she had been standing staring blankly in the sleeping James' direction for a while. She made her way quietly closer and removed the book from James' loose grasp. She took the light blanket of the back of the chair and draped it over him and went back upstairs to try once more to fall asleep. After sorting out many of her thoughts while downstairs, sleep found Lily much more quickly. The conversation with James she wanted to have could wait until tomorrow.

In the Slytherin common room, a thin dark haired boy sat staring into space clearly thinking deeply about something. He was disgusted that he had been helped by James Potter. He wanted to know what Potter was planning, he would never help Snape without a hidden agenda. He had also noticed the looks that Lily was throwing Potter's way. It was not her usual look of loathing, it was a contemplative look, a look of consideration and thought. A look that meant that her opinion of Potter might be changing. Maybe that was what Potter was doing. Trying to trick Lily into thinking he had changed, get her closer and then undoubtedly hurting her in the end. There was no way that Potter could ever make Lily happy, he was a narcissistic, self-serving jerk. He knew he had screwed up last year when he had called Lily a Mudblood, but she had made him angry. She had expectations of having a public friendship. He knew that it was impossible, but he would try to apologize and become her friend again.

The one thing Severus Snape could not understand was the fact that the loss of love as strong as that of a parent can truly change a person. James' behavior was in fact a true change, with no motivated self interest. Snape refused to admit to himself that James had done the one thing he could not/ James had been faced with a decision and made the right decision not the easy decision. Snape would not come to realize the consequences of his own choices until it was too late.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The next morning Lily woke early like normal, prepared herself for the day and walked down into the common room. James had apparently gotten up at some point during the night because he wasn't on the couch were he had been the night before. She was just getting ready to head down to breakfast when she heard a door close behind her. She turned to see James coming down into the common room while fixing his tie. He looked up and gave Lily a small smile.

"Good morning Lily, thanks for covering me up last night."

"No problem, did you sleep okay?" Lily asked. James' face flickered but his neutral face returned quickly.

"I had a bad dream, but nothing too horrible." James looked a bit sheepish when admitting about his bad dream.

"Do you want to talk about it? It might help." Lily asked looking concerned.

"I think I'll be okay, at least for now." James' response made Lily think about the talk she wanted to have with him. By unspoken agreement, they made there way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Lily thought now was as good a time as any to broach the subject.

"James, I was wondering if we could talk later?" Lily asked as if expecting a violent reaction.

"Yeah, I don't see why not, Is this about Head duties?" "No, its something personal."

"Oh, okay." They were approaching the Gryffindor table. Alice and Remus were already there but were sitting quite a distance apart.

"So, we'll talk after dinner?" James asked.

"After dinner is fine." "Okay, I'll see you in class Lily." James said as he walked to where Remus was sitting.

The first class of the day for James and Lily and their friends was Charms. Professor Flitwick announced at the beginning of class that the first three weeks of classes would be review then they would move on to more complex charms. The textbook that James was reading the night before followed the same format. For the first time he could remember in Charms, he was finding that he wasn't having as much difficulty as he normally did. Professor Flitwick even commented on his improvement.

Classes continued throughout the day. All of James' professors noticed his focus on the lessons as well as his improvement. Headmaster Dumbledore had suggested that a change would likely follow the death of his parents, but no one expected this sort of change. They were all very happy that he was clearly taking an interest in his work, and even happier that his change appeared to be genuine. Professor McGonagall particularly noticed the change in James. She had witnessed his encounter with Severus and could not have been more proud. In her own class that first day, James had first mastered the transfiguration himself then went to help others having trouble. In years past, James would master the transfiguration and then joke around with his friends, often causing a disturbance in the classroom. She hoped this changed James was going to stay around, she could see James Potter doing great things if he was able to keep his mind on the important things.

The professors weren't the only ones to notice the difference in James during classes. His own friends had noticed, and in Peter's case, had benefited, from the change in James. Peter was the first person James helped after he had gotten the spell right. His other friends were beginning to get used to the change, so they weren't as surprised as they might have been a few days ago. Lily and her friends also noticed. Lily was hoping that James would come to help her because Transfiguration is her worst subject, while it seemed to come naturally to James. Unfortunately, time had run out before he could make his way all the way to her. Lily's friends were surprised by James' change and, while they would never say anything to Lily, were wondering what his change would mean for their relationship.

Soon enough for everyone, dinner arrived and passed without incident. The first day of classes are always tiring after a summer spent doing very little actual work. Lily had finished her dinner quickly on purpose. She wanted to get back to the common room early so she could get ready for the talk she was going to have with James. James ate a leisurely dinner and spent time catching up with some of the other seventh year Gryffindors. Frank Longbottom had spent the summer traveling with his mother, and James was amused to find out, exchanging letters with Alice Whitford, Lily's friend. Frank blushed heavily when he told James he planned to ask Alice to the first Hogsmeade weekend in a few weeks. After he finished eating he bid his friends good-bye and set off for the common room he shared with Lily, all the while wondering what she wanted to talk to him about. He stepped into the common room and saw Lily staring into the fire.

"Hey Lily, how was your first day?" "It was good James, how about yours?"

"It was long, but I have to admit, it feels good to be back. So what did you want to talk to me about?" James made himself comfortable sitting in a chair across from her. Lily took a deep breath, and hoped James would not be angry at her for bring this up.

"Marlene and Alice told me about your parents. I just wanted to say how sorry I am, and let you know that I'm here if you ever want to talk."

James had never expected this to be what Lily wanted to talk about, but was not surprised she had heard about his parents. He noticed Lily's nervousness and hurried to assure her that he wasn't angry she brought it up.

"Thanks Lily, that means a lot to me. It's been difficult. I guess you've noticed me acting a little differently." He paused and then continued with a slight smirk. "I don't think you'd be talking to me otherwise." This made Lily chuckle and say; "You're probably right." "My parents being gone made me realize that I needed to grow up. I knew when they died that I wasn't doing all I could to make them proud of me. I know they were, but I also knew I could do better. So I started to think about what I could do to be the man my parents always knew I could be, and realized that focusing on school was the first thing, and treating everyone with respect was another. While we're on the subject, I just want to say sorry for being such a prick over the years. I hope that maybe we could move past that and try and be friends."

Lily was pleased that James had been as honest as he had been. It was obvious to her just by looking into his eyes that making his parents proud meant a lot to him. She promised herself at that moment, that she would try and help him in any way she could. The first place to start, was to forgive him for being a jerk, and to be his friend.

"I forgive you James. To be honest, even though you deserved some of my anger, you didn't deserve all of it. So I agree to let bygones be bygones and that we move forward as friends." Lily couldn't remember ever seeing James smile as large or as genuine as he did then, it was infectious and Lily felt herself beaming back at him.

"I can't tell you how happy that makes me. Thank you." James said emphatically.

"Your welcome James. It's getting late, so I'm going to head to bed. Remember, if you ever need or want to talk, I'll be here." Lily said and gave James a short hug. It was a little awkward, given their past, but it was comforting.

"I'll remember, and probably take you up on it eventually. Good-night Lily."

" 'Night James."

Both Lily and James fell asleep quickly that night. For the first time since the death of his parents, James slept through the night without a single nightmare.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of J.K. Rowling, Warner Brothers, and Scholastic Books, no infringement is intended.

Chapter 9

The following weeks after the truce between Lily and James were a time for their friendship to grow. James' friends and Lily's friends were supportive of the newly formed friendship between Lily and James, so it wasn't uncommon to see all of the friends together. It didn't take long for friendships to form among the two groups of friends. Every night before going to sleep, Lily and James would usually talk. Lily told James about the problems she had with her sister and about how she was making a effort to correct their broken relationship with little success. James was slowly opening up about his parents. He stories usually focused on the good times they had, trips they had taken. He still would not talk about the dreams he was having, but Lily knew he was still having them. Some morning she would wake up early as she normally did, and James would already be awake.

The lack of sleep was slowly taking it toll on him, however his strong efforts toward his school work were paying off. All of his professors had complemented him on the accuracy of his essays as well as how quickly he was picking up his spells and the purity of his potions. He was having some difficulty with Charms now that Professor Flitwick had began with some new spells. Reading the text certainly helped, but they were still challenging. James decided he needed to do something to help him even further.

One night in mid-October, just after dinner, James saw Lily sitting in her favorite spot in their common room. Two very comfortable chairs sat in front of the fireplace. With the fall, came cooler and cooler air, which made sitting in front of the fire the perfect way to spend the evening. James walked over and sat down in his favorite spot in the common room, next of Lily Evans.

"Lily, I know your busy with your own work, but I've been having some trouble with Charms, which I know is your best subject, and I was hoping you could help me."

"I'll help you James, would you mind helping me with my Transfiguration."

"Deal." James pulled out his Charms work and Lily spent close to an hour explaining some of the important aspects to the newest Charms they were learning. After they finished with Charms, James spent another hour trying to help Lily with the newest objects to transfigure. By the end of the two hours, both were exhausted, but pleased with the results that had come from working together. They agreed to meet at least once a week to help each other with the subject the caused the other the most trouble.

The next morning Lily and James were walking to the Great Hall talking happily about the next prefect meeting that would take place that night. As they were walking James got distracted and crashed into another person. The other boy's books crashed to the floor. The other boy appeared to be furious that someone had run into him and made his anger known.

"What is your problem, why don't you watch where you're going." As soon as the boy spoke both Lily and James knew who had spoken. James had crashed into Severus Snape who obviously hadn't noticed who ran into him, his hair was still in his face as he was bent down to pick up his books. Lily hoped this wouldn't turn ugly.

"I'm really sorry Severus, I should pay more attention to where I'm going." James said as he bent down to help. Once Snape realized it was Potter he looked up with a glare, then he noticed Lily standing there. His glare lessened only slightly, as it was obvious to Snape that Lily had been walking and apparently having a good time with Potter.

"Don't bother Potter. I realized how difficult how it must be to see where your going with that big head of yours floating around everywhere." Snape spat out. Here it comes, thought Lily . However she was surprised when James simply took a deep breath, let it out slowly and finally addressed Snape again.

"I really am sorry Snape, I should get going to meet my friends. Are you coming Lily or did you want to talk Severus?" James made eye contact with Lily gave a small smile followed by a small shrug. Lily returned the smile.

"I'd like to talk to Severus for a few minutes, I'll see you in the Hall." Lily said in reply.

"Alright, bye Lily, bye Severus." James turned and continued his way to the Great Hall. Lily then turned her attention back to Snape. She didn't look happy.

"You could at least try to be cordial to James, as he is obviously trying with you." Lily said with a touch of frustration in her voice. Snape laughed sardonically.

"I never though you for a fool Lily. You actually believe this good boy act Potter is putting on. This is just another plot to get you to date him." Snape said with a smirk. He realized treating her this way wasn't helping their friendship, but seeing them chatting happily with each other, as if they had friends for years was too much for him to take. He had been her friend for years not James. His jealousy prevented him for using restraint when it came to the conversation they were having now.

Lily was furious. She may have no desire to be his close friend anymore, but she had hoped they could still remain civil. Clearly that just wouldn't be possible.

"You would know all about acting wouldn't you Snape. After all, for almost six years you acted like a friend to me in private, and to the public you acted like you hated me. Don't believe for a moment that what you have to say holds any bearing with me anymore, because it doesn't. You gave up that right when refused to acknowledge our friendship. I didn't ask for much. For your information, James apologized for the things he has done in the past, and is continually making up for them. Like you I was skeptical at first, but it is clear to me that he is not just trying to get me to date him. He, unlike you, has grown up, and is proving to everyone the kind of man he can be, which is more of a man then you will ever be. You will never be more that a petty, narcissistic man who holds grudges over pranks played in childhood. I feel sorry for you Snape, because you will never grow up." With that statement, Lily turned on her heal was walked away.

Snape stood in the hall looking where Lily had just walked away. He realized that he had lost any chance of making things right with her, and was even more furious. He blamed James for that too, instead of looking inward at himself. Lily would eventually find out what a jerk Potter really was, and he would be there to pick up the pieces to rub them in Potter's face. Until then, he would do all he could to get a reaction out of James in front of Lily. With that somewhat happy thought, he turned and made his way into the Great Hall and over to the Slytherin table, with a small smirk on his face.

Lily made her way over to the Gryffindor table and sat down between James and Alice. She was thinking deeply about the encounter with Severus in the hall. As long as she and Severus had been friends, she always thought he had years of maturity over James, it was becoming obvious to her now that her previous thoughts were no longer true. James had handled himself well. She new he had been mad at the way Snape had insulted him, but he kept his cool and removed himself from the area before the situation got worse. Lily really could not have been more proud of him. Severus on the other hand, was almost unrecognizable to her. She knew he would hate the idea of her being friends with James, he had almost always spoke venomously against James, and she had agreed most of the time. But now she was questioning herself, and her own actions back then. James had definitely been a jerk, he admitted that himself, but some of the things Snape had said about James went beyond just anger at something James had done, Snape had also almost always retaliated. Snape may not have had the same flair for pranks that James and his friends had, but they were still embarrassing enough to get his point across. Lily had always felt protective of Severus, but she was beginning to realize that he may not have been as innocent in the pranks against him as he had convinced her he was.

James noticed Lily's look of deep contemplation when she sat down. He hoped nothing had happen with Snape, as much as James didn't like him, he had known they had once been friends.

"Lily are you alright." James asked carefully, he didn't want her to direct her anger at him, he had been there before and wasn't in a big hurry to be there again.

"Yeah James I'm fine." Lily paused and then continued. "I'm proud of you. I know you really have changed, but seeing you keep control around Snape just proved it a lot more."

"I'll admit it was difficult. But it needed to be done. I realized how much nicer it is to be the nice guy. It sounds cheesy I know, but it true. I'm proud of myself, and I know my parents would be too. Thank you for helping me get through this whole thing."

"Your welcome James. I never thought we would be friends, but now that we are, I couldn't be more happy, and my grade in Transfiguration has never been higher." She finished with and laugh, James laughed too.

"We better get to class." James said getting up and helping Lily get up from the benches at the table. They walked out of the hall with a pair of dark eyes scowling at them the entire way.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The first Hogsmeade visit of the year was upon them and all the friends had plans. All the friends would go together, except for Alice who had accepted the invitation from Frank Longbottom. Frank and Alice had agreed to meet the rest of the friends at the Three Broomsticks at two o'clock for a quick butterbeer before returning to the castle.

Saturday bloomed bright but chilly, and inside the girls dormitory Alice was searching frantically through her clothes to try and find the perfect outfit for her date with Frank. Frank and Alice had spent almost the entire summer sending owls back and forth. They got close late the year before when they were paired together for a Herbology project. She couldn't wait for her date to begin. Alice's friends were watching her search, and had a difficult time holding in their laughter. Finally, Lily took pity on her friend and decided to help her. She found a cute skirt and a shirt that brought out the color of Alice's eyes and gave them to Alice.

"Here Alice, these should look great, and still keep you warm." Lily said with a smile.

"But not too warm, that's what Frank is for after all." Marlene added. Marlene and Lily laughed merrily at Alice's blush.

"Get dressed, we don't want to be late." Lily said as she got her cloak. Lily had decided to join the girls in their dorm that morning knowing how nervous Alice would be.

The three girls made their way down to the common room where they found James, Sirius, Remus and Peter, trying to calm down an obviously nervous Frank. When Frank heard the girls coming down the stairs he turned so quickly, James was sure he heard his neck crack. However, the smile that lit up Frank's face when he made eye contact with Alice was enough for everyone to see how much fun the two would have.

"Well Alice and Frank, we'll leave you two here, enjoy your date. We're still on for two o'clock at the Three Broomsticks right?" James asked Frank.

"Sure, that okay with you Alice?" Frank asked Alice with the grin still on his face.

"Yeah, that sounds good to me. We'll see you guys then." Alice then grabbed Frank's hand and led him out of the common room, already deep in conversation by the time they reached the portrait. The friends watched them walk out of the common room bemused.

"Are you ladies ready to go?" Asked Sirius looking at Marlene with interest. Marlene appeared to be oblivious.

"Yeah, let's go." Lily said, sharing a look with James. James just winked back, making Lily chuckle.

* * *

The friends all had a great day. It seemed as though, the friends had inadvertently paired up. Despite appearing oblivious, Marlene was not as oblivious to Sirius' charms as she led him to believe, and the two split off to go to the small joke shop. Marlene was just as fond of pranks as Sirius, and since James was taking it easy with the pranks, the two naturally gravitated to each other. Remus went off with one of the seventh year Ravenclaws, Lily recognized her as his prefect partner. Lily vaguely remembered her from their potions class, she is as smart as Remus , just a little more outgoing. Lily thought the two looked good together. Peter, well Lily wasn't sure where Peter went, all she knew was that it was just her and James.

"So, did you need to get anything, or did you just want to browse around, it seems it's just the two of us now." James said.

"I'm getting low on parchment, and there's this new book I was hoping to get if you don't mind going there?" "No not at all, I'm a bit low on quills myself." The two made their way to the store for their quills and parchment, then on to the bookshop. Inside the book shop, Lily went over to the books on Charms while James went over to look at the books on Defense. He had been re-reading all of his defense books, with the hope that if a situation ever arose where he needed to defend himself or his friends he would be ready.

Snape entered the bookshop alone, he had left his small group of friends, if he could call them that, when he saw Lily and James enter the bookstore. He knew this would be a good time to put his plan into action, and with an entire store of witnesses. He had no idea how badly his plan was about to go wrong. He noticed that Potter was near the defense books, and that Lily would be in the Charms section like she always was so he made his way over to Potter. What he didn't realize was that Lily saw him as he was set to approach James, and made her way over hoping to prevent an altercation.

"So Potter, how are your dear parents. Oh, yeah, they died didn't they, and you couldn't save them. How very pitiful, isn't it?" Snape taunted, with a wicked and evil glint in his eye. He noticed the Potter had stiffened immediately after his first statement, and was clenching the book in his hands tightly. He kept going, trying to throw James over the edge, just in time for Lily to see James attacking him. James did everything he could to ignore the taunting.

"Really Potter, I expected better from you. Your parents were Aurors weren't they, you should have learned a lot from them. Maybe they knew what a coward you would turn out to be when it mattered and didn't bother." Snape laughed cruelly.

"Come on Potter, where's the snappy come back, the pathetic attempt to redeem yourself. Although, it wouldn't matter, it is after all, your fault your parents are dead." Instead of retaliating, James just stared into Snape's eyes for a long moment, then turned and made his way out of the store. As he left, he made eye contact with Lily, who had tears in her eyes, he touched her hand lightly and left.

Snape realized too late that Lily had heard the whole thing. Lily just stared at him for a moment, with a look of what would have been hatred if it were anyone else, but Snape knew Lily didn't hate anyone. What it was, was a look of loathing, and disappointment. "You're sick Snape." She spat his name as if it were vile. "For the longest time, I thought you were the better man, you were my friend, you could have been more. But you blew it. First when you refused to be seen with me in public and just know. I never thought anyone could be that cruel to another human being, but I was wrong. I can't believe that it was you of all people to sink to a level I never thought anyone could go. I am only going to say this once so listen intently. Stay away from me, my friends, and James, Snape. If you go near him again, I swear to you, if he doesn't curse you, I will. I've never been as disgusted by anyone as I am with you." Lily said this entire thing barely containing her rage. She knew though, that there was something much more important for her to do, and that was to make sure that James was okay.

She left the bookstore and looked for James in all directions. She made her way down the street and finally saw him hunched down on a rock near the creepy Shreaking Shack, and made her way cautiously over to him. She sat down next to him and just waited. She knew that this was going to be a very emotional talk, not the sort of talk one has in the middle of a crowed street.

"I'm ready to talk." James said, and Lily was surprised to find that he had been crying. Knowing what Snape had said to him, she shouldn't be surprised, but she was. She had never, in all their years at school, ever seen James Potter cry.

"I'm here to listen. Although, I don't think this is the best place to have that conversation. Let's go back to school, get some hot chocolate, and talk in the common room."

"Your right." James got to his feet first, and grabbed Lily's hand and helped her up. Then they made their way back slowly to the castle, neither realized they were still holding hands.

Snape was sitting under a tree not far from the bookstore when he saw Lily and James walking to the castle. He noticed that they were holding hands and swore viciously. His plan had officially backfired. He vowed to himself, that somehow he would get James Potter or his stupid friends in trouble, and get Lily back.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, Warner Brothers and Scholastic Books no infringement is intended.

Chapter 11

Lily got James settled in one of chairs in front of the fireplace after they had gotten hot chocolate from the kitchens, one of the elves agreed to leave it in the head's common room for them. It was waiting on the table between the two chairs when they got back. James was sitting with his head in his hands hunched over staring at his shoes. Lily sat in the chair next to him sipping her hot chocolate, Lily knew James would need to talk in his own time. Lily got lost in her thoughts, so when James finally did speak she was surprised.

"Snape was right. As much as I can't stand him, he was right. It is my fault they're dead." James said despondently.

"No matter what happened James, I know it wasn't your fault. If what Snape is true, then you and your parents were attacked, you couldn't have done anything to help them James. All you could do was protect yourself, which I'm sure was what they would have preferred anyway." Lily responded. She placed a hand on his arm; "Tell me what happened."

"My parents were off from work that day, we had decided to spend the day together in town. We used to do that a lot when I was younger. We just walked around most of the day, we got food from this restaurant and we had a pick nick. It was such a great day. We were getting ready to head home for dinner when these people jumped out and attacked."

"Could you see who it was?"

"No, their faces were covered with masks. They were covered from head to toe in black robes, and hoods. My parents told me to hide and then disarmed a few of them but they got overwhelmed. I tried to fight from where I was, but they didn't seem to care. Once they realized my parents weren't getting up they took their wands back and left. I crawled over to them, but they were already gone." His voice cracked when he said the last part, but he didn't cry.

Lily had no idea what to say. She couldn't imagine what it had been like to watch your parents die and knowing there was nothing you could do.

"I don't think anything I can say will make you feel better, but it wasn't your fault. If you had tried to help you would have been killed too, that was the last thing they would have wanted, you know that."

"I know, I just do nothing but dream about the whole thing. All I see are ways I could have helped them, and instead all I did was cower behind a wall waiting for it to be over. Even though I know my parents would be happy I survived, I can't help but feel I could've done more."

"Dreams will go away James. You are doing all you can do now by living your life the way your parents would have wanted you to. Focus on what is happening now, not what did happen, or what could happen. What's meant to be will be." Lily patted his arm then picked up her hot chocolate to take a long sip.

"Your right." James took his first sip of the hot chocolate and sighed happily.

"I love hot chocolate. I think I've talked enough for today. So tell me about your family Lily. I know you said you've been having trouble getting closer to your sister, but tell me about her and the rest of you family." Lily and James talked for hours about their families. Lily even asked James about some of his and Sirius' best pranks, and laughed about almost all of them.

"I want to ask you something Lily, but I don't want you to get mad, if you don't want to answer that's fine. I just wanted to know about your friendship with Snape. I knew you were friends since first year, but what happened to change that?"

"It's complicated, but the gist of it is that I wanted our friendship to be public. I didn't care what you, no offense, or anyone else thought about me being friends with him, but the same wasn't true for him. He refused to acknowledge our friendship to anyone. To be honest, I once thought there could be more with me and Severus, but his refusal to acknowledge me ended that notion, and seeing him the way his is now, I'm glad our friendship never developed into more. I told him I needed more from him, he couldn't give it, so I walked away." Lily said a little sadly.

"I'm sorry Lily, I really am. He's a fool. You're one of the best friends I've ever had and if Snape refuses to acknowledge that then he doesn't deserve you." James said looking directly at Lily. Lily blushed but was smiling. The two continued talking, not even realizing that it was fast approaching time for dinner.

* * *

Sirius, Remus, Peter, Marlene, Alice and Frank all met at the Three Broomsticks at two o'clock and became worried when James and Lily never showed up. They decided to make their time there quick so they could look for James and Lily to make sure they were okay. When they couldn't find them, they returned to the castle thinking, and hoping, that they had returned earlier in the day. By the time they reached the Head's common room, it was almost time for dinner. They went into the common room and saw James and Lily near the fire place talking as if they had been friends for years. James' friends immediately noticed the relief in James, something must have happened. James hadn't looked that at ease in a long time. Sirius thought to himself, that if Lily was responsible for his change, he would be forever grateful for the help she was able to give him.

"Lily, James here you are, we were really worried when you didn't show up at the Three Broomsticks." Alice said with obvious relief. Lily looked at James as if to ask how he wanted to handle this.

"We're sorry we worried you, I had an unpleasant encounter with Snape that brought up some painful memories and thoughts, Lily was able to get me to talk about them and help me move forward. We'll have to meet next the next trip to Hogsmeade." James said.

"No problem, I'm just glad that you were finally able to finally get the help you needed Prongs, it's about time." Sirius said using James' nickname. He then shot a look of thanks to Lily, which Lily returned with a short nod and a small smile, Lily knew how worried Sirius had been, even though he had never said anything.

The friends all made their way down to dinner chatting happily. Frank and Alice had obviously had a good time because they were walking close together, and exchanged smiles almost constantly. Lily reminded herself she needed to ask Alice how the date had gone that day. They all sat at their usual place at the Gryffindor table and enjoyed their dinner together. Sirius was glad that a load had been lifted off of James' shoulders, he was even happier that Lily was the one to help him, however, he was furious that it had been Snape to bother James so deeply. He vowed revenge in the name of his friend because it was obvious to him that even though Snape deserved revenge, James would not act on it out of respect for his parents and Lily. He would just have to do it for him. With that thought, he smiled to himself and continued with his dinner and rejoined the conversation with his friends.

* * *

When Snape made it back to the castle he went immediately back to the Slytherin common room sulking at how badly his plan had gone wrong. When he arrived in the Great Hall he noticed that James and Lily and their friends were not in the Hall yet. He started his dinner when he heard a commotion coming from the entrance. When he saw Lily and James walking together happily with their friends his anger grew. He knew he would have to do something, but he still couldn't find out what. But he would, he would make sure James Potter suffered for all the pain he had caused him and he would get Lily back in the process. Snape looked away from the friends, feeling sick to his stomach at how happy Lily looked and finished his dinner so he could leave as quickly as possible. Things would get better once he made Potter pay, he told himself as he made his way back to the common room to try and think up a new plan.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Lily woke up later than usual the next day. She equated that to the emotional talk she had with James the day before. Despite how much pain he had been in, he had opened up to her, they had opened up to each other. She couldn't help but smile at that. Her friendship with James was surprising to her, last year she could barely stand him, and now he had become one of her very best friends. Being around him was beginning to bring up feelings for him she wasn't ready to deal with yet, she had too many other things going on at the moment to be thinking about things like that, but she knew she would have to deal with it eventually, she was afraid of what would happen when she did.

Lily made her way down to the Great Hall knowing her friends would already be down there, and hoping she could at least catch the last few minutes of breakfast. As she was entering the Hall, Snape was leaving, they made eye contact for the briefest of moments but Lily kept walking, without so much as acknowledging his presence. She really had no desire to have anything to do with him. The things he had said to James were cruel and horrible, she knew she would never forget the things he had said to him. She reached the table and sat down next to Marlene.

"Hey Lily, sleep in this morning?" Marlene asked.

"Yeah, I guess I was more tired than I thought last night. I'm wide awake now, which is good, I have to write that essay for Transfiguration today." "I can help you if you want Lily, I was able to finish mine last night." James said.

"I'd like that James, I could help you with your Charms essay, if you need help."

"That'd be great."

The friends all continued to eat, with Frank and Alice flirting throughout breakfast. That reminded Lily that she needed to ask Alice how her date with Frank went yesterday. After they had finished, Lily followed the girls back to the Gryffindor common room, Alice was going to study with Frank and Marlene was going to study with Sirius, exactly how much studying was going to happen would remain to be seen. When the girls reached the dorm, Lily finally got to talk to Alice.

"So how did your date with Frank yesterday, I never got the chance to ask you." Alice blushed but smiled hugely.

"It was so great Lily. I never realized we had so much in common, but he was so easy to talk to." She paused and then added a little quietly, "He asked me to be his girlfriend and I said yes." Lily and Marlene, who had been listening screamed in excitement for their friend.

"You didn't tell me that yesterday, Alice." Marlene said.

"I know, I just wanted to tell you both together." Alice said in reply.

"Oh, I'm so happy for you Alice, I think you and Frank will be good for each other. He really cares about you." Lily said with great happiness.

"Well what about you Lily? You and James have gotten a lot closer." Alice asked Lily. Lily knew these types of questions would be coming eventually. She had always sworn to her friends that she loathed James Potter and would never date him. She knew not only that she didn't loath him anyone, she also knew she could see herself possibly wanting more from their friendship. Like she told herself that morning however, those were things she wasn't ready to think about yet. She and James had only just become friends.

"I honestly don't know anymore. He's changed so much and we have a great friendship, and I won't deny that I find him attractive. We just became friends, I'm not ready to start thinking about more yet, but I'm also no longer ruling it out." Marlene and Alice shared a glance with each other.

"I know your friendship is new, and I'm not trying to push you into anything, but you and James have one of the strongest friendships I've ever seen. James never told his friends what he told you yesterday, they knew the basics, but they still don't know all that you do. Regardless of how he went about it before, James has always thought very highly of you, and I would wager that goes double now that he knows you even better than before. Only you can decide what you want from your relationship, but I think you could do a lot worse than James." Marlene said, being almost uncharacteristically serious.

"I do know that Marlene. I won't deny that a part of me wants more but I don't know if he still feels that way about me anymore, and besides, even if he does, he's still dealing with the loss of his parents. The most important thing right now, is for me to be his friend, anything more will have to come later." Lily said in reply. The conversation switched to more mundane topics with Alice and Marlene understanding Lily's position and knowing that whatever is meant to happen will happen when it is meant to.

Across the common room and in the boys dorm, James, Sirius, Remus, Frank and Peter were having a similar conversation with Frank and James. Frank could not contain how happy he was that Alice had agreed to be his girlfriend, and the friends could not be happier for Frank. When that conversation ended, the boys switched their attention to James.

"So James, things with you and Lily seem to be going well, are you going to ask her out again?" Sirius asked.

"No, at least not anytime soon. As much as I still want to be with Lily, I started to realized that when I asked her to date me all those times before, I really knew very little about her. I'm enjoying learning about her family and her as a friend. If we ever become more than friends, I realize now that I will appreciate it all that much more, now that I actually know her." The friends were speechless for a moment. Remus was the first to get his ability to speak back.

"That's good James. I think you are finally understanding what Lily wanted from you all along. Give it some time, you'll know when the time is right to try and ask for more from her, just be patient." Remus said, the friends just nodded in response.

The boys met the girls down in the common room and went their separate ways. Lily and James made their way back to their own common room to begin working on their essays. The fact that they were helping each other made their work go a lot faster and they had finished with all of their homework by early afternoon.

"Hey Lily, since we finished our work, I think I'm going to go fly for a little while."

"Alright, have fun James." Lily said with a smile.

James went up and grabbed his broom and went out to the Quidditch pitch to fly for an hour or two. He always felt better after he flew. His thoughts were able to clear and he was able to just relax. He was flying fast when he thought he saw something down on the pitch. He looked down around from his position about one hundred feet in the air, but didn't see anything. They next thing James knew he felt a sharp pain on his side before everything went dark.

Down on the pitch a figure came out from hiding underneath the stands, the figure smirked and walked quickly back up to the castle.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, Warner Brothers and Scholastics books, no infringement is intended.

Chapter 13

Lily was sitting in the common room reading the Charms book she had picked up in Hogsmeade yesterday. She was startled from her thoughts when Sirius and Remus entered the Head's Common Room looking for James. They were hoping to play some Quidditch.

"Sirius, James went down to the pitch about an hour ago, he said he was going to fly for a little while and hasn't come back, he's probably still there." Lily told them.

"Thanks Lily, we'll see you at dinner." Remus said to Lily, as he and Sirius left to head down to meet James.

As they reached the pitch they didn't see James flying, but thought maybe he was resting. When they reached the entrance, the saw a figure laying face down on the ground and not moving. They both immediately recognized James' unruly black hair and ran toward their friend calling his name. Sirius, being the faster runner, reached him first. He turned James over and felt wetness on his hand. He looked down to look at the hand that had been on James' side to see blood covering his hand, when he looked more closely, he realized that the grass around James was also covered in blood.

"Remus we need to get James to the hospital right now, he losing a lot of blood." Sirius said to Remus frantically.

"You levitate him, I"ll run up and warn Madame Pomfrey." Remus said as he took off toward the castle with Sirius following as quickly as he could without losing his concentration.

After what seemed like an eternity later for Sirius he finally reached the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey was already waiting. She went to work right away and tried to make them leave, but they refused. Suddenly, Remus realized that the others would be worried so he went to tell Lily.

Remus made it to the Head's Common Room and went inside. Lily was talking to Marlene who had joined her when she and Sirius had finished studying.

"Remus what's going on, I thought you were playing Quidditch with James and Sirius." Lily said with a hint of worry as she saw the look on Remus' face.

"James was hurt Lily. He was on the ground bleeding when we got to the pitch, Sirius is with him in the hospital."

"Oh my god! I need to see him." Lily said frantically. Marlene's cooler head showed through.

"You two go back and stay with James and Sirius while I go and tell Peter, Alice and Frank."

"Thanks Marlene." Remus said relieved. He and Lily practically ran back to the hospital wing and burst inside without pausing.

Madame Pomfrey was still working on James, she had stopped the bleeding and was bandaging him up, Lily counted five blood restorative potions on the table next to him. He was still really pale.

"Madame Pomfrey, is he going to be okay?" Lily asked, her anxiety obvious.

"He lost a lot of blood, but he should be okay. Just be glad that his friends showed up when they did, too much longer and … well it wouldn't have been good. What he needs now is rest. One of you will have to leave. No more than two of you with him at a time" She said as he collected the bottles and made her way back to her office. The friends looked between each other and Remus agreed to wait outside, while Sirius and Lily made themselves at home on either side of James. Lily took his hand in hers while Sirius just stared at him worriedly.

Remus made it to the hall, and the rest of the friends were all waiting outside.

"Is James okay, Marlene didn't know the details." Frank asked first.

"He's recovering, Madame Pomfrey said he should be okay, Sirius and Lily are with him now, the rest of us need to wait out here."

"Any idea what happened? I mean James is one of the best flyers I've ever seen, it's not like him to just fall." Marlene Asked Remus.

"It wasn't just a fall. He had a huge gash of his side, that's how he lost all of the blood he lost. Sirius and I didn't really have time to look around or even think about what happened, we just had to get him help. Chances are though, whoever attacked him left right away, James was by himself, why wait around to get caught." Remus replied back. Remus sat down and put his face in his hands. He hated waiting but he knew James would want Lily to be there, and he would never ask Sirius to leave. The rest of the friends all sat around Remus. The waiting game had begun.

Severus Snape was sitting on his bed thinking about what he had just done. Potter should be dead by now. He had calculated how much blood would be lost based on the size of the laceration and the body mass. Potter should be dead by now. Snape really couldn't think of a phrase that sounded better to him than that one did. With Potter finally gone, he would be the one to help Lily heal. He would be her knight in shinning armor. His original plans focused around just trying to get James expelled, but after trading owls with Lucius Malfoy, he decided that he had been thinking on a scale far too small. Why not just completely eliminate the competition? He would have to thank Lucius in his next letter. Potter would never bother him again, he would never get in the way of Lily and him again. He couldn't help the smirk that overtook his face. Finally, things were looking up.

Back in the hospital wing, Lily and Sirius were in pretty much the same position as before. Sirius finally looked up at Lily, and noticed how scared she looked.

"He's going to be okay Lily." Sirius tried to comfort Lily.

"Thanks to you and Remus. If you hadn't shown up when you did, he'd be dead by now. Thank you."

"I didn't do anything Lily. But your welcome anyway. It's not often that I can take credit for something good." Sirius said with smile. His statement made Lily smile too.

"I know what your trying to do, trying to make me laugh, thanks. You really are a good friend. I never saw it before, but I do now. James is lucky to have you." Lily said.

"I'm lucky to have him. You may have thought he was a jerk before, and he was, to you, because he was trying to impress you, but he one thing about James is once you're his friend, he'll never let you suffer if he can do something about it. He did a lot for me, and I will spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to him."

Lily didn't respond, she only nodded. Sirius and James were a good as brothers, and she knew that Remus held a place just as close.

"You do know, that you're my friend too Lily. I know that sounded really lame, but you've been really good for James. You've been able to help him in a way that Remus and I could not. I will never forget that Lily."

Conversation ended at that point and both Lily and Sirius felt a bond forming between them. It was no where near the closeness of James and Lily, nor was it as close as James and Sirius, but it was that start of a deep friendship brought together with the tragedy of a mutual friend. They continued to sit and wait together, hoping their friend would wake up soon.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Lily and Sirius were still waiting for James to wake up, Madame Pomfrey had come by earlier to explain to them that James would not wake up until sometime the next day. Sirius and Lily were resolute though, and decided not to leave until it was time to sleep. That time came and went, and Sirius and Lily eventually made their way back to their common rooms. Sirius walked Lily back to the Head's Common Room to make sure she made it back safely, then made his way back to the Gryffindor Common Room.

Lily lay in her bed that night, and sleep was hard to come by. Now that her mind had slowed down and she was able to think, she wanted to know who had done this to James. Her mind slipped immediately to Snape, but it didn't stay there long. As much as she new Snape had changed, she still could not convince herself that he was capable of such a vicious attack. Her mind was unable to think of anyone else that would want to hurt James, so the question in her mind still remained. She finally fell asleep late during the night, but her sleep was plagued with horrible dreams of what might have happened to James if Sirius and Remus hadn't arrived when they did.

Sirius had a similar problem falling asleep, but for a different reason. Sirius had no doubt that Snape was the culprit. Sirius was very aware of they type of people Snape associates with, as some of them were members of his biological family. He knew that Snape was capable of evil. The reason Sirius was kept awake was because he was plotting his revenge. He had finally come up with something appropriate to make Snape understand that Sirius and his friends and adopted family were not to be messed with. He too, fell asleep late during the night, but his dreams were filled with the slightly wicked thrill knowing that his prank would finally get his point across to the person who had caused his friends so much pain.

* * *

The next morning Lily grabbed two pieces of toast from the Great Hall then made her way to the hospital wing, she had gotten up extra early to ensure that she could see James before she was forced to go to classes. The hospital wing was quiet. James was one of only three patients in the hospital wing, they were all still asleep when Lily arrived. She made her way over to James and sat down in the same chair she had been seated in last night, and took his hand in hers again. James' skin had gained a lot of its color back, the simple fact was that James looked remarkably better than he had the night before, but Lily knew she wouldn't be comfortable until she saw James's eyes looking into her own. As if someone was listening to her thoughts, James stirred a little. It was as if James was fighting to remain in a deep sleep, but was losing. Lily remained quiet, not wanting James to wake until he was meant to. She didn't have to wait long. Finally, a few minutes after he had began to stir, and an eternity for Lily, James eyes slowly blinked open as he groaned in obvious discomfort.

"Lily?" James asked faintly.

"I'm here James, you're gonna be okay." Lily reassured.

"What happened?"

"You were attacked while you were flying. Sirius and Remus went out to meet you and found you laying on the ground. You had a huge gash on your side and lost a lot of blood, but Sirius and Remus found you in time. I was so scared." The last part came out almost as a whisper. Her fright was immediately apparent to James, and despite his weakened state, he tried to reassure Lily.

"I'm okay Lily, you said so yourself. I'm not going to make it that easy to get rid of me, not when you're just getting used to me being around." James joked lightly and managed to make Lily smile.

"You better not. I should go get Madame Pomfrey, she should be able to give you something for the pain." Lily said as she got up to fetch Madame Pomfrey.

Madame Pomfrey bustled over to James and looked him over. She checked the gash on his side, which still looked nasty in Lily's opinion, but said that James was going to be fine, and if he was careful he would be allowed to leave in a few days. She gave him a pain relieving potion, that worked immediately, Lily could see his face relax and she sent down for breakfast. A house elf popped in quickly and James ate it all.

"Thank you for being here Lily. It really means a lot to know you care so much. I'm sorry you were so worried." James said to Lily.

"I'm your friend James, of course I'm going to be here, you would do the same. Sirius stayed with me until we had to sleep last night, and Remus and the others all waited outside, so I wasn't the only one worried and here. But you're welcome anyway."

Their conversation was interrupted, when the rest of their friends burst in. They all ran over when they realized James was awake, and Sirius was obviously relieved. They chatted for a little while longer before Madame Pomfrey came back in and shooed them out so James could rest and they could go to class. They all told James they would be back after classes. Sirius and Lily exchanged a relieved look as they walked to potions that morning, their friend was well on his way to recovery.

* * *

Severus Snape was in a fabulous mood as he woke up the next morning. James was dead. He almost wanted to dance a jig. Things would turn around for him now. He made his way down to breakfast a little later that morning, he had slept well the night before, knowing his plan had succeeded. He sat down with his small group of friends and dug into his breakfast, noticing that James's friends, including Lily, were not in the Hall. Someone must have found him, and were now telling his friends the oh-so-terrible news, he though gleefully. His good mood could not be hampered, or so he thought anyway.

The first crack in his good mood came as he was making his way to his first class of the morning. He overheard a conversation he originally thought would only improve his mood.

"Did you hear about James Potter?" One Ravenclaw said to another.

"No, what happened, he wasn't at breakfast?"

"I heard from one of the Prefects that he was attacked last night, they found him nearly dead on the Quidditch Pitch." This was when the first crack appeared. The Ravenclaw had said nearly dead, not dead. He hoped that maybe the Ravenclaw just didn't know the final story.

The second crack appeared just before class started. Sirius, Remus Lily, Alice, Frank and Peter all walked into potions class that morning. Worst of all, they didn't look like they had been grieving.

The third crack, which shattered Snape's happy mood, appeared when Sirius sent him a look that would've killed anyone else. It was then that Snape realized that Potter hadn't died. Potter had somehow managed to survive a perfectly planned attack. Black clearly knew he had done it. That wasn't something he was worried about, because he knew Black would never be able to prove anything. His mood sufficiently put back in place, Snape knew the only thing he could do was lay low, he wouldn't do anything to call unwanted attention to himself, lest he give himself away. Now he would have to try and come up with a new plan. He would have to wait, too soon and it would be too obvious, but Potter would get his eventually.

* * *

Sirius saw Snape sitting in his usual place, and was infuriated when he saw the elated look Snape was unsuccessfully trying to hide. If he hadn't already been convinced, that look would have been enough to convince him that Snape was the bastard that nearly killed his friend. It didn't matter now though, because Sirius already new how he was going to get back at Snape, his plan would take place three days from today and Snape would never see it coming.

* * *

Lily too had seen the poorly disguised look of glee on Snape's face and the doubts she had about his guilt instantly went out the window. She found herself not as surprised as she would have been three days ago. Snape's recent actions had revealed his dark side, but she couldn't believe he had sunk so low as to attack someone, especially someone with their back turned. Lily felt a wave of revulsion wave over her as she thought of Snape. She no longer felt any pleasant emotions towards Snape, only regret. Regret that she had wasted six years being friends with someone clearly evil while reviling someone she felt she could no longer live without. One thing was for sure, Lily would never again waste her time with Severus Snape.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, Warner Brother and Scholastic Books no infringement is intended.

Chapter 15

As planned, James was released from the hospital a few days later. The laceration on his side wasn't completely closed yet. Whatever spelled was used against him was designed to ensure that it didn't close easily. As a result, James chest was still wrapped tightly, making him walk stiffly, Sirius nearly laughed himself silly the first time he saw James walk down the hallway, Lily was sure to hit Sirius as soon as she got close enough. James was happy to be out of the hospital despite the bandages and some discomfort. The friends made their way to classes that day and everyone, teachers included were really happy to have James back. In the eyes of the teachers, James had pulled a complete one-eighty this year, going from a terror to one of their favorites, even though they would never admit it.

There was one person who was not happy with James' return, and that obviously was Snape. He saw the entire class, minus most of the Slytherins crowd around James to welcome him back and felt sick just looking. He would never understand what people saw in James Potter. The fact that he was praised to the skies made Snape want to throw things across the room and scream until his throat went hoarse. The fact that Lily refused to leave his side made everything that much worse. We was relieved when class started and he could concentrate on his potion.

One person inside of James' group of friends had been watching Snape's reaction to James' return. The look on his face was priceless but it wasn't enough. Sirius had watched Snape practically writhe in his seat with rage and frustration at his failed attempt and the extra attention James's got as a result. The plans he had made were ready, and tomorrow they would go into effect, and Snape would finally get what he deserved.

* * *

Later that night James couldn't deny how tired he was. His side was aching terribly and he was just physically exhausted. Lily had noticed and helped James get comfortable in his chair by the fire and then settled in her own next to him. They had both been current on their homework so thankfully they were able to just relax that night.

"Thanks for all you help today Lily. I don't think I could have made it today without you." He said tiredly with a slight wince at the pain he was feeling.

"Its nothing James. You look tired, maybe you should head up to bed early tonight."

"Yeah, I think I will. Thanks again." She helped him stand up and made his way to the stairs, then he did something that surprised her a little. As they reached the bottom of the staircase, James wrapped Lily into a hug. Despite her surprise, Lily didn't hesitate to hug him back. It was the first time since he was attacked that she really felt completely better, she knew he was okay now. They shared one last smile as James went up to sleep. Those feelings she wasn't ready to deal with were making their way back into the front of her thoughts, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to ignore them this time.

* * *

The next morning dawned dark and gloomy and cold. The weather was normal for the Mid-November day that it was, but it was also a sign of how the day would turn out to be. James awoke late, but felt much better than he had last night, he was still sore but not as tired. He went down into the common room he shared with Lily to find her holding up a clean bandage.

"Madame Pomfrey gave me these when you were released, I'll need to change your bandage for the next few days." Lily said moving closer to James.

"Oh, okay." Lily helped him remove his shirt and take off his bandages. The bandages had a small amount of blood on the inside, and the cut on his side was still nasty looking. Lily applied a cleaning charm to the area and then a disinfectant charm and then wrapped the area tightly with the clean bandages and helped James get his shirt back on. James had to admit that his side felt better now that it had been cleaned.

"Thanks Lily, it feels better." James said.

Lily and James made their way down to breakfast to begin their day. All throughout the day, James noticed that Sirius seemed anxious. He assumed that it was because tonight was the full moon and he and Peter would be keeping Remus company for his transformation. James would have to sit this one out because of his injuries. Something however, was not right. Sirius had never been anxious before, James was afraid Sirius was going to do something stupid.

* * *

That night James was sitting in his chair working on an essay for Charms with Lily helping him. Right now, his friends would probably be changing to go marauding in the Forbidden Forest. James was only partially right. Remus was a few minutes away from changing and Peter had changed into a rat to keep him company, but unknown to James, Sirius had begged off. Sirius was currently luring Snape into the Shrieking Shack where he knew Remus would be in the form of a werewolf. His hope was that Snape would be there just as Remus becomes the wolf to scare Snape in a way he would never forget. Sirius arrived just on time and immediately changed into his dog form, Snape followed in a few minutes behind just in time to see who he thought was Remus Lupin, he couldn't be sure as the face was slightly distorted, change into the giant werewolf. Snape immediately froze as the wolf stared straight into his eyes. Sirius watched in glee as Snape nearly wet himself when Remus was completely changed.

Peter saw Sirius come in and wondered what he was doing here. He had said he couldn't make it because he had a study date with Marlene. When he saw Snape enter the Shack, he knew immediately what Sirius had done. Peter ran as fast as his little legs could carry him out and up into the castle to get James. He changed back into his human form when he was free of the Whomping Willow and made it up to the castle faster than he knew he could move. He burst into the Head's Common Room and James saw the look on Peter's face immediately.

"Snape is in trouble in the Shrieking Shack." Peter panted. Despite his pain, James jumped up and ran to out the portrait hole. Lily followed but when they made their way out into the hall after desperate pleading, James managed to get Lily to stay behind, promising to tell her everything after. She reluctantly agreed.

As James and Peter reached the Shrieking Shack they saw Snape lying stunned on the floor as Sirius was trying to keep Remus away from Snape, they were both in their animal forms.

"Peter, help me drag Snape down the tunnel. Sirius you keep Remus distracted." James ordered. With Peter's help they were able to get Snape out of harms way. They were able to get him out of the tunnel and up to the castle. They brought him up to the hospital wing and told Madame Pomfrey to floo Dumbledore right away. James asked Peter to get Lily knowing she was owed an explanation.

About ten minutes later as Lily finally arrived, James was about to start his explanation when his extreme exertions caught up with him and he passed out. The only way to describe the events that night would be pure chaos.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Lily and Professor Dumbledore watched as James' eyes rolled back into his head and he fell to the floor. It was only then that they noticed the large amount of blood on his side, the same side where his laceration was still healing. Now it appeared all the dragging he had down had reopened the laceration. Madame Pomfrey wasted no time levitating James onto the nearest bed and got to work.

"Headmaster, I need you to go into the supply closet and get out half a dozen blood replenishing potions, some clean bandages, pain relieving potions and a pepper up potion." Madame Pomfrey ordered Professor Dumbledore. For his part, Dumbledore acted as though we were ordered around by people all the time and did exactly as Madame Pomfrey told him. All Lily could do was stand by and watch. After almost half an hour of Madame Pomfrey working James slowly regained consciousness.

"Glad your back Mr. Potter, now what did I tell you about being careful. Your side is now back to square one I'm afraid you'll be here for a few days." Madame Pomfrey told him.

"Mr. Potter, could you tell us what happened now." Professor Dumbledore asked politely.

"I can try, sir. I was working on my Charms essay with Lily in our common room when Peter burst in and told us that Snape was in trouble in the Shrieking Shack." Lily interrupted him before he could continue.

"Isn't that where Remus goes through his transformations?" They all looked at Lily incredulously. They had no idea Lily even new Remus was a werewolf.

"Oh, please, give some credit, it doesn't take a genius to figure it out." They all laughed.

"Indeed, Miss Evans, that is where Mr. Lupin transforms. Continue Mr. Potter."

"Right. Well I got up and ran down there as quickly as possible. Snape had been stunned, by Sirius I think, so Sirius stayed back to distract Remus, while Peter and I dragged Snape up here."

"What about Sirius?" Lily asked.

"Sirius will be fine Ms. Evans, in his animal form." Professor Dumbledore assured, and smiled when he saw the looks on Peter and James' face.

"You Know." James said rather than asked.

"I know. You're probably wondering why I didn't stop you. Well it's simple really, I knew how much it meant to Remus to be able to have his friends along during his difficult time." Dumbledore said to them.

"You're all Animaguses? Lily asked.

"Yeah, I'm a stag, Sirius is a big black dog and Peter is a rat."

"Well that explains the nicknames." Lily said.

"What I would like to know, is why and how Snape managed to get down there." Professor Dumbledore asked, his tone much more serious than before.

"I think I know professor." It was Peter who said this.

"Go ahead Mr. Pettigrew." "Sirius led Snape down there on purpose. Earlier, Sirius told Remus and I that he couldn't make it tonight because he had accidentally scheduled a study date with Marlene, forgetting that tonight was the full moon. Remus and I then went down the tunnel like normal and were preparing for Remus to change when Sirius burst in and wouldn't look away from the entrance to the Shack. Remus and I were surprised but before we could say anything, Remus began to change and Snape burst in, just in time to see the last part of Remus' transformation. After that Snape just stood there frozen, with Remus staring at him in his wolf form. That's when I figured out what was going on and ran to get James." Peter finished.

"That still leaves the why." Dumbledore said, and this time he looked to James who had a look on his face that said he had just figured it out.

"Sirius led Snape down there for revenge, Professor. He believed that Snape was responsible for the attack against me on the Quidditch Pitch as well as for the things he had said to me about my parents in Hogsmeade last weekend." James said looking very upset.

"What are we going to do Professor? Snape probably knows that Remus is a werewolf, I'm afraid he won't hesitate to tell everyone who'll listen." James asked Dumbledore.

"We'll leave Snape asleep for now, and tomorrow when Remus and Sirius return and we get the rest of the story we will figure something out. But rest assured, I will not let Mr. Snape tell anyone about Remus. For now, I'll let you get the rest you so deserve, and thank you Mr. Potter for rescuing someone who had done nothing but cause you pain recently. It takes a good and righteous man to do something like that. Good night Mr. Potter, Miss Evans, Mr. Pettigrew." With that, Dumbledore left the three of them alone.

"What are we going to do James?" Peter asked.

"I don't know Peter, I really don't. I can't believe Sirius would do something so incredibly stupid. He put Snape at risk. He put Remus, one of his best friends at risk just for revenge." James said, his anger obvious.

"Calm down James. I know how upset you are, justifiably so. But things will work out one way or another, and in the end, Sirius will just have to accept the consequences of his actions. I'm sure he's feeling bad enough as it is." Lily tried to pacify James.

"You're right Lily." James yawned and Lily and Peter realized that it was time for them to let James sleep.

"Good night James, get some sleep, we'll see you in the morning." Lily squeezed his hand and she and Peter left James to sleep.

* * *

Sirius was indeed beginning to realize the potential consequences of his actions. Remus, even in his wolf form was obviously angry at him. Instead of enjoying running around in the Forbidden Forest, they were laying on opposite sides of the Shrieking Shack. Sirius realized the Snape probably saw and realized that it was Remus transforming and he knew that Snape would not hesitate to tell the whole school about it in an effort to force Remus to leave Hogwarts. On top of all of that, he would have to face whatever punishment would be given to him. With a sigh, he turned over and tried to fall asleep.

The following morning, Sirius woke up and saw Remus back in his human form sitting on the floor against a wall with his head in his hands and his elbows resting on his knees. He was the picture of despair. Sirius got up and went to say something when Remus spoke before he could.

"Don't bother Sirius, let's just go get this over with, so I can pack my things and leave." Remus said with a mixture of anger and sadness. Sirius again went to speak, but Remus stopped him.

"Don't Sirius! I don't care why you did it, I only hope it was worth it, because you probably just ruined everything for me. So spare me any worthless explanation. Don't expect me to try and minimize what you did or to try and make you feel better, because right now, I'm having a hard time just looking at you." With that Remus turned and marched out without bothering to see if Sirius was following. Sirius was following, feeling worse than ever for what he had done.

Sirius and Remus decided to go to the Head's common room first to get James and then go to talk to the Headmaster. When they got there they went in to see Lily packing her bag for the day with all the books she would need that day. She looked up and saw Remus and Sirius and shot a glare at Sirius.

"Good morning Lily, we were hoping to talk to James." Remus said wearily but with a small smile at Lily. Lily hesitated knowing how much more upset Remus was going to be at Sirius when he realized that Sirius' actions also put James back in the hospital wing. The tension between Remus and Sirius was obvious to Lily.

"He's in the hospital wing Remus. He and Peter had to drag Snape up to the castle, the laceration on his side was reopened. He'll be there for a day or two." Lily said directly to Remus, simply to avoid the anger she would have directed at Sirius if she had been looking at him.

After she finished her statement, Remus shot a glare at Sirius and Sirius looked completely miserable now knowing that his actions put his friends in the hospital wing.

"I'm going to visit James in the hospital wing, Dumbledore is expecting an explanation so he'll probably already be there so you might as well come with me." The two agreed and they all made their way to the hospital wing. The discussion that would soon take place in the hospital was bound to be an uncomfortable one for all of them but most especially for Sirius. The entire walk, he looked as though he was going to the gallows, and in a way he was. He had to face all of his friends and explain what had happened and why he had done it, a reason that now seemed so unimportant. He just hoped his friends could eventually forgive him for what he had done.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling, Warner Brothers and Scholastic books, no infringement is intended.

Chapter 17

When the three finally made it to the hospital wing, Dumbledore was already waiting along with Professor McGonagall. They were talking quietly to James, and whatever they were discussing it was obviously quite serious. The three of them looked up when Lily, Remus and Sirius entered. Lily went right over to James who smiled at her. She sat down next to him and waited for the conversation to begin. Sirius and Remus gathered nearby chairs and everyone else sat down.

"This is obviously a very serious situation, but I ask that everyone remain as courteous as possible. Now, Sirius I think it is time you tell us what happened." Professor Dumbledore began.

"I was furious with Snape for the things he had been doing to James. First in Hogsmeade where he said terrible things about how James' parents died, and then Snape's attack against James on the Quidditch Pitch. I wanted to do something to get back at him, to get even and I came up with this idea. I told Peter and Remus that I had scheduled a study date with Marlene forgetting that it was the full moon…" Sirius stopped and both he and Remus looked at Lily, they didn't know she already knew that Remus was a werewolf.

"I've known for a while about Remus, keep going." Lily reassured.

"Right, well then I went to the library and found Snape studying. I made it seem obvious that I was planning a prank in order to get him to follow me. I knew that he wouldn't be able to resist getting me into trouble. So I lead him down to the Whomping Willow where I knew Remus and Peter would be for the transformation. I got there and I knew that Remus and Peter would be surprised so the timing had to be perfect. Once I got inside and turned around Remus began his change and right at the end, Snape entered. Once he saw the werewolf he froze, I was afraid he was going to frighten Remus, which would make him attack so I had to stun him. I guess at some point Peter left to get James, because the next thing I know James is there pulling Snape out and telling me to keep Remus distracted. Finally, James and Peter got Snape out and up here, so Remus was able to relax and we spent the rest of the night in the Shack."

No one spoke for a minute, all trying to make sense of what happened. The actual events seemed pretty straight forward, but the reasoning behind it just didn't seem right.

"What were you thinking Mr. Black. You could have gotten Mr. Snape killed. Dumbledore has told me about your animagus ability, but you knew that Severus didn't have that same skill. He had no way to defend himself. I can't believe you would do such a thing." Professor McGonagall's anger was obvious.

"I know what I did was wrong, and really stupid. I have no good reason why I did it. I was angry. James has gone out of his way to try and be civil to everyone, most especially to Snape, and all Snape was doing was giving James grief about his parents. I know that it doesn't justify what I did, but it was enough for me at the time to come up with this plan. All I can say is that I am truly sorry."

"You never once considered what it could do to Remus did you?" James asked, just as angry, if not more, than Professor McGonagall had been.

"Having someone like Snape know about Remus' condition could ruin him. If people find out he could be forced to leave. None of this is ringing any bells for you?" James asked Sirius, almost spitting angry.

"I wasn't thinking about any of that, I just wanted to help you; make things a little easier for you." Sirius explained.

"I don't need you to make my life easier. I have been managing on my own, with help from all of you. Talking helps, revenge is never the answer, all it does is make things worse." James said to Sirius with a little less anger. To a certain extent, James could understand why Sirius did what he did. Had this been a year ago, he probably would have been a part of the plan, but he had really grown up, James realized that Sirius needed to do the same.

"I admit freely that I would have been right there with you had this happened last year Sirius, but it isn't, and I've grown up. I've learned to think things through before I do them, because all actions have consequences. Doing things for revenge means you aren't thinking clearly, you're thinking with your emotions. You could have ruined things for Remus." James finished.

"What do you mean could've?' Remus asked this question.

"Mr. Potter means that we have come up with a solution." Professor Dumbledore said pleasantly, as if he were attending a summer pick nick.

"What do you intend on doing?" Asked Lily.

"Mr. Snape will agree to keep the secret. In return, Severus will serve detention for three months for his part in the attack against Mr. Potter on the Quidditch Pitch, which would have otherwise had him expelled. Sirius will be forbidden from accompanying Mr. Lupin during his transformations for the rest of the school year as well as serve detention for one month, again as opposed to being expelled. As a result, no one else will learn of your condition Mr. Lupin and you will therefore have no reason to leave." Dumbledore said with a small smile.

"Thank you Headmaster." Remus said with obvious relief.

"What happens if Snape doesn't agree?" Asked Sirius.

"Then he will be expelled, as will you, I'm afraid Mr. Black. Do you agree to the terms Mr. Black?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, Professor."

"Well then, it is time to wake Mr. Snape so we can ask him."

Madame Pomfrey woke up Snape and Dumbledore asked him if he would accept the conditions.

"Mr. Snape, we have evidence to prove that you were responsible for the attack on Mr. Potter on the Quidditch Pitch. We also know, that Mr. Black is responsible for a horrible prank against you. In the interest of fairness and equitable punishment, we have come up with a compromise. You will agree to serve three months of detention for your attack against Mr. Potter and you will keep the information about Mr. Lupin as well as the animagus forms of these gentleman a secret. Mr. Black will serve one month worth of detention for his prank on you, he will also not be accompanying Mr. Lupin on his transformations this year. Do you agree Mr. Snape?"

"What happens if I don't agree?" "I'm afraid you and Mr. Black would be expelled. The actions by the two of you warrant expulsion. I do believe this is the better of the two options, Mr. Snape."

"I accept the compromise Professor." Snape said.

"Good. Mr. Snape you will speak to your Head of House tomorrow evening for your detention, and Mr. Black, you will speak to Professor McGonagall for your detention. I think you are free to go Mr. Snape. If that is all, I wish you all a good day." With that Dumbledore left the hospital wing.

"I do hope you two gentlemen know how truly lucky you are that Professor Dumbledore is Headmaster, otherwise you both would most likely be leaving tomorrow. I'll see you tomorrow Mr. Black." Professor McGonagall said as she too left the hospital wing.

Snape couldn't stand to be near Black, Potter, Lupin and Lily so he left as soon as Madame Pomfrey said he could, and he didn't look back. An awkward silence followed Snape's departure. Sirius realized how lucky he really was.

"I know what I did was terrible, and I have no good reason for why I did it, all I can do is hope that one day you'll all be able to forgive me." Sirius said, and the rest of them couldn't recall ever seeing Sirius look so, pardon the pun, serious before.

"I can't speak for Remus, because this has affected him more than all of us, but I do forgive you Sirius. I understand why you did what you did, and I also know that you will think much more before you do anything like this again. It will take time to rebuild the trust you fractured, but I know we will get past it. You're my brother in every sense that matters Sirius, just think next time, okay?" James said with a small grin. Sirius was relieved that James would forgive him, and by the small smile on Lily's face he realized she probably felt the same. But he still had Remus to mend things with.

"I promise I will think next time." Sirius said, his tone a little hesitant, but more lighthearted than before.

"I agree with James." Remus said, surprising everyone.

"I won't lie, Sirius, what you did damaged my trust, and it will take a while to get it back, but we will repair it, because our friendship is too strong not to."

"Our Brotherhood." James interjected.

"Our brotherhood is too strong not to mend." Remus said with a grin at James.

Sirius smiled, and even had tears in his eyes, but they didn't fall.

"I don't know what I did to deserve you." Sirius said with a syrupy sweet voice making all of them laugh.

"But seriously, thank you, I know I screwed up, and I will do everything I can to fix this." Sirius said much more seriously.

"Well enough of this mushy stuff. You guys better get to breakfast." James said and the others agreed.

Lily, Sirius and Remus all left that morning and headed to breakfast. While things weren't perfect, they were well on their way. The friendship between Remus, James and Sirius was on the mend and would be back to normal soon enough.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

James was released from the hospital two days later. He couldn't recall a time he was happier to return to classes. With Lily's help he was able to keep up with all the work they had been assigned. As November continued it became colder and colder, and all in the castle were waiting for the first snow fall of the year, and hopefully, the first snow ball fight. Lily, in addition to waiting for the first snow fall was looking forward to the holidays so she could go home and visit her family. Things still haven't improved much with her sister, although, Petunia's letters did seem to be a little more detailed, but it was mostly about how nicely her relationship with Vernon was progressing. Petunia also repeatedly asked if Lily had gotten herself a boyfriend yet, and Lily had no doubt that Petunia was extremely proud of the fact that she had a boyfriend and Lily did not.

Thinking about the holidays made Lily think about James. She realized that James had no where to go for the holidays. She started to think about inviting him to come home with her for the holidays, and eventually decided that she would ask her parents. She had sent a letter just over a week ago, asking if it was okay to bring her friend James home since he had no where to go, and her mother's reply had come this morning.

Dear Lily,

I can't tell you how happy I am that you finally made peace with that James Potter. I have to say that whenever we saw him on the platform he always seemed like a nice young man, I'm glad you've managed to work out your differences. It such a sad thing about his parents, and it would be our pleasure for him to spend the holidays with us. I can't wait to meet him

How are your studies going? You've always done so well, so I'm not worried in the least. Petunia speaks of nothing but Vernon. I can't say I like him very much, but if he makes Petunia happy, that's all that matters I suppose.

Hope to hear from you soon

Love you,

Mum

Lily smiled. Her mother would never speak badly of anyone outright, but it was pretty clear to Lily that she didn't like Vernon all that much, and Lily really couldn't blame her. She may have only met him once, but people always say that first impressions are very telling, and Lily was not at all impressed. But her mum had it right, if Vernon made Petunia happy, who was she to speak badly of him.

Now that her mother had given her permission, Lily would need to ask James if he wanted to spend the holidays with her family. Lily made her way to the library, James was likely to be found in the Library this time of day on a Saturday. She found him looking busy at work on an essay, but he looked up and smiled when he heard her approach.

"Good morning Lily." James greeted.

"Good morning James." Lily wasn't sure how to approach the subject, and James must have picked up on her awkwardness. "Is something wrong Lily?" James asked. "Why don't you sit down."

"Thanks, and no nothing's wrong. I just wanted to ask you something, but wasn't sure how to go about it."

"Oh well, straight forward is usually best."

"Right. Well I was thinking about the holidays coming up, and I knew you would be staying here by yourself, which wouldn't be any fun, so I was wondering if you would like to come home with me and spend the holidays with my family?" Lily asked a little shyly.

"Wow! What about your parents, would they be alright with that, I mean I don't think I've ever properly met them." James asked, in truth he couldn't have been more excited, but he also didn't want to make Lily uncomfortable.

"I already asked. I got a letter back from my mum this morning and she said that it would be wonderful to have you over. She sounded quite excited actually." Lily said.

"Well, as long as it really is okay with your parents, and you wouldn't be uncomfortable in any way, I would love to spend the holidays with your family." James said finally. Lily couldn't hide the grin on her face, she too, was really excited that James agreed.

"Oh, great, my mum will be so happy. I'll send her a letter right now."

"I have some parchment and a quill if you want to write it here." James offered.

"Yeah thanks." Lily finished her letter a few minutes later, just as James finished his essay, so he escorted her up to the owlery to mail her letter. Then they returned to the common room to play a game of chess before lunch.

The friendship between Remus, Sirius and James had been strained for some weeks. But Sirius did prove himself slowly by thinking things through. For several weeks he focus on his studies like James had done and, for once, completed his detention without complaint. His relationship with Marlene also improved. They progressed and even went to Hogsmeade together as an official date. After the first Hogsmeade weekend it didn't take long for Frank and Alice to become a full couple. No one said anything, but they were wondering when James and Lily would get their act together and become a couple. They also knew that with a friendship as strong as Lily and James' has become, when they do become more, it will likely last forever.

* * *

Snape's life was not going well as he would've liked. He had never expected to be caught in his prank against James Potter and now he was stuck in detention for three months, and James and Lily had gotten even closer. On top of everything else, any plan he had would no longer be possible, because in the rare event that he got caught, he would likely be expelled. So now he could do nothing but watch Lily fall for James Potter. It was safe to say, that the rest of his seventh year would be hell.

* * *

The last few weeks of the term passed with a lot of stress. Finals had all of the students doing nothing but studying for their class finals. James was stressed but by the time came to actually take the tests for once, in the six and a half years he had been attending Hogwarts he actually felt pretty confident that he would do well. Lily too was stress but was looking forward to the holidays, and she was extremely proud that James was prepared for end of term exams. They had their last two exams the next day and after that they would be leaving for three weeks, and Lily couldn't wait for James to meet her family, and for her family to meet James.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, Warner Brothers and Scholastic Books, no infringement is intended.

Chapter 19

This was the morning that James was going to meet my family. Lily was thinking as she was doing her last minute packing. She couldn't help but be a little nervous. She hated to think the way she was, but in her mind this was James' final test. Her heart was pretty much already his, but if he could survive her family, there would be nothing else standing in the way of her advancing their relationship. Lily wasn't holding out hope that Petunia would like James, she was sure that Petunia would think James was a freak, just like she thought Lily was a freak. Lily just hoped that her parents would like James, especially her father, Lily knew her dad was especially protective of Lily. Lily finished her packing and just started to make her way down into the common room, when James exited his room.

"Good morning Lily, oh, let me help you with that." James said as he helped Lily carry her trunk to the common room.

"Thanks James, where's your trunk?"

"I carried my trunk down earlier this morning."

"Are you having dreams again?" Lily asked James.

"Yeah. Not as often as before, but just as bad. I think part of the problem was my excitement about today."

"Well, if you want to talk about your dreams again let me know. Unfortunately, I overslept so I don't have time for breakfast, we should head down to the carriages."

"I figured you'd miss breakfast so I grabbed you a muffin." James said as he presented Lily with a blueberry muffin.

"Thanks James. Oooh, blueberry my favorite." Lily said as she shot a smile at James and they made there way down with James levitating her trunk down so it would make it onto the train.

They ran into Sirius, Remus, Peter, Marlene, Alice and Frank. Sirius was going to spend the break with Remus, and the others were all going home. The friends could not have been more ecstatic that James was going to spend the holidays with Lily and her family, the all believed that this could be enough to finally bring them together.

The train ride passed uneventfully. Lily noticed that James fell asleep and slept most of the way, his dream must have been bad if he was that tired. Lily noticed that Sirius had a look of concern on his face as he looked at James.

"He had a nightmare last night. He told me they didn't happen as often and he blamed it on the fact that he was so excited about today. I'll keep an eye on him over the holidays."

"Thank you Lily." Sirius sat back with a sigh. He hoped his friend would be okay. There was one thing he was sure of though, Lily would watch out for James, and he couldn't be more glad. Since that time in the hospital wing when James had been injured Lily had become like his sister.

Lily woke James up as she saw King's Cross coming into view, and she had to admit that he looked great. Instead of his usual jeans and t shirt, James had dressed in a pair of khakis and a nice grey wool sweater. He looked very smart, James noticed that Lily was looking at his clothes.

"I thought I should make the effort to look a little nicer, first impressions and all that." James said a little sheepishly.

"You look nice James. My mum will love you for sure." Lily said.

"What about your dad?" James asked, a little frightened.

"He'll be a little more difficult, but my mum will keep him in line so don't worry." Lily said reassuringly. The two grabbed their trunks and made their way over to two people that were quite obviously Lily's parents and a young woman, not much older than them, that was probably Lily's sister Petunia. Lily pulled ahead and ran into her mother's arms. Mother and daughter were overjoyed to see each other after months apart.

Lily's father stayed back with a smile on his face, that was until he saw the young man standing behind his daughter. So this was James Potter. He recognized the boy of course, from the times they had taken Lily to the platform for school. He hadn't been all that impressed with the boy, especially when Lily would write home about the latest prank he had pulled. It was with much surprise that her letters began to change this year, he was no longer the toerag, and prat of years past now he was James, just James. Now looking at the boy again, he had to admit the boy did look a little different, more grown up. In his mind it didn't bode well, Lily might fall for the boy, that just wouldn't do at all, on one is good enough for his Lily.

"Good evening, Mr. Evans, I'm James Potter." James introduced himself timidly, Mr. Evans didn't look very friendly. Mr. Evans didn't say anything or move an inch as if to accept the hand that James had offered. Mrs. Evans noticed and scolded her husband.

"Oh don't be silly Charles, it's wonderful to meet you James, Lily has told us so much about you. This is my husband Charles, and I am Rose. This is our other daughter Petunia." James took Rose's hand and offered his hand once again to Charles who took it, reluctantly. Then he faced Petunia and offered his hand to her. She just stared at it for a moment then offered three fingers. James did not hesitate he took the three offered fingers gently and shook them lightly.

"Well, what say we go and get some supper and then head home, you two must be exhausted." Rose said with a bright smile.

"That sounds wonderful mum." Charles and James grabbed the two trunks and walked to the Evan's car. Lily, Petunia and James had to squeeze into the back, and Lily decided to sit in the middle.

Charles stopped at a family friendly pub that was on the way and they all piled out of the car and into the pub to eat. They found a table and perused the menu. They placed their orders and then settled into conversation.

"Lily has told us that things have turned around for you this year James." Mrs. Evans said pleasantly.

"Yes. I didn't have the best summer. Some things happened that made me realize that I needed to do some growing up if I ever wanted to make something of my life."

"He's come along way, and done great things the last few months, it's the reason we were able to become friends." Lily added. Charles wasn't convinced, and wasn't aware of the reason for James' change.

"I highly doubt one summer can make a person change." Lily looked at her father in outrage. Petunia looked as though she were enjoying James' discomfort, and if the look on Mrs. Evan's face was any indication, Charles would be sleeping on the sofa for a while. But nevertheless, Charles continued. "What exactly happened to cause this…this change?" Charles asked with more than a little skepticism. James looked down at his plate. Lily looked at her father, as if betrayed. She couldn't believe her father would do this to her friend. She didn't have time to say anything because James actually answered her father's question.

"My parents were killed, Mr. Evans." Everyone looked as Charles looked down in shame. He knew he had gone too far, but James wasn't finished. "I was left with my parent's estate, and I've been trying to get things settled since then." Everyone looked at James when he said this, even Lily, he had never told her that. In all honesty she should have known, he was an only child of an old wizarding pureblood family so it made sense but she never really thought about it.

"Es...tate?" Petunia asked with a stutter. She never placed this James Potter with having a great deal of money. He might actually be worth something if he had money.

"Yes my parents inherited quite a bit of money from my grandparents."

"You get that money now don't you?" Petunia asked eagerly. Her parents and sister looked at her askance.

"Yeah I guess. I've already directed most of the money to some charities my mother was planning on setting up, as well as some business investments my father was planning." This finally seemed to impress Charles and the two discussed the investments for some time, Charles was even able to help James with some of the questions he had. They finished their dinner in peace with Petunia upset that James didn't seem at all impressed with her. He should learn to appreciate someone with class like her, clearly she was much more classy than Lily. Petunia wasn't going to waste her time if it wasn't appreciated, besides she had Vernon anyway.

After dinner they family left the restaurant and piled back into the car and made their way to Lily's home. James was excited, things seemed to be going well so far, Charles seemed to be coming around. He only hoped it would continue the way things were going.

Lily sat next to James relieved. She was still slightly upset at her father for making James talk about his parents, but James seemed okay with it and he seemed to get along well with her father, so she decided to let it go, her mother would likely take care of it anyway. She looked over at James. He was leaning against the door obviously very tired, her noticed her looking and smiled at her, and she patted his hand. Rose Evans saw the exchange in the mirror on her visor and smiled to herself. It seemed her daughter had finally found her match, and Rose knew Lily could not have chosen better.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

By the time the Evan's and James made it to Lily's home, James was almost asleep. Clearly, all the sleeping he did on the train wasn't enough to make up for his lack of sleep the night before. They stopped outside a modest light blue home. James got out of the car, and turned around to help Lily out. He grabbed his trunk while Charles grabbed Lily's. Mrs. Evans unlocked the door and immediately showed James back into the den, which would serve as his room for the duration of the holidays.

"I'm sorry we don't have a nicer bed for you James, but the couch opens up and there are sheets and an extra blanket, it can get kind of chilly in here at night." Mrs. Evans said.

"No, it's fine Mrs. Evans." James replied.

"Would you like a tour James, or would you rather wait until morning?" James could tell that Mrs. Evans was eager to show off her home, so he agreed to have the tour now.

"If you don't mind, I'd love a tour." James said.

"Oh, wonderful! Follow me." Mrs. Evans said enthusiastically. James had to smile. Lily was fixing herself a glass of milk when James and her mother entered after finishing the tour of the house.

"You have a lovely home, Mrs. Evans." James said politely, but honestly. He liked how there was a lived in feeling to Lily's home. There were bits and pieces of all members of the Evan's family giving it a comfortable feeling to it. He liked it.

Lily smiled at James' comment. She could tell he had told her mother the truth, and it made Lily feel more comfortable with James staying there, knowing that he liked her home.

"Rose, James, please call me Rose. And thank you, you feel free to make yourself at home. I'm quite tired, so I'll leave you two for the night. Good night Lily, James." Rose said and gave each of them a hug.

"Would you like some milk James?"

"Yeah, I'd love some. Your mum is really nice. She reminds me a lot of you actually." James said.

"We both get that a lot. It's probably why we're as close as we are. My dad seems to like you."

"Yeah, at least after the initial awkwardness. He's a great guy, and he seems to know a lot about these investments, whereas, I, even after months of trying to figure it out, I am still clueless." James said to a laugh.

"Yeah, he got a degree in business at uni. Why didn't you ever tell me you had to deal with your parents estate?"

"It didn't really seem all that important. It was actually quite boring and tedious, I didn't want to bore you."

"Oh….So how much do you have?" Lily tried to hold her laugh in, but the shocked look on James face was too much and she started laughing.

"Is that all this is about. All you want is my money." James tried to say with a straight face, but the sight of Lily laughing was enough to set him off too. When they calmed down James said, "Man, I haven't laughed that much in along time. It felt nice."

"I know what you mean. You look tired James, you should get some sleep." Lily said.

"I think I will. Good night Lily, and thank you again for inviting me." James gave Lily a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek and then went into the den to set up his bed. Lily set her dirty cup in the sink and then went to her own room.

* * *

Petunia watched as her sister and her "friend" laughed in the kitchen. It wasn't that she didn't believe her sister when she said they were just friends, but she couldn't deny the chemistry and attraction the two had. She couldn't help but be a little jealous. In the months that she and Vernon had been dating, he had never made her laugh like that, come to think of it, she couldn't remember him making her laugh. Period. Lily had gone out of her way to try and become friends again, but she just couldn't do it. Their lives were obviously headed in very different directions, and the things Lily could do, quite honestly, scared the life out of her. She would have to keep a distance away from her sister in order to keep the freakishness away from her and Vernon, and whatever life they had together. She was pretty sure that Vernon was planning on proposing for Christmas. She couldn't afford to be pulled into Lily's strange world, even if the boy she brought home was quite dashing, there was more to life that good looking men. With that thought she retreated back to her room and went to sleep.

* * *

Rose and Charles Evans were really fond of James Potter, and while neither would admit it, they liked him much more than they liked Vernon. James Potter didn't give off the air that he was better than them despite the fact that he probably had more money at hand then they would make in their life time. He listened to them, spoke to them with respect and courtesy and he obviously thought very highly of their daughter, and treated her with great respect. While Charles had been hesitant about the boy, any man could tell when his daughter was interested in a boy. But he couldn't deny that he just liked James. He would reluctantly admit that he couldn't think of anyone better for his daughter than James Potter.

* * *

The next morning James woke up late. Despite what Rose had said about the room getting cold, James slept better than he had in a long time. He felt at home with the Evans. He wasn't exactly surprised, Lily's home reminded him of Lily, which had recently become comfortable. He knew his holidays would be the best ever.

Lily too woke up late. She was home in the bed she had grown up in and she always slept peacefully when she was home. Both Lily and James arrived in the small dinning room near the same and Rose asked them what they wanted for breakfast. She had made pancakes earlier, so James and Lily just had her make more.

"We were just planning a very low key day today. We were just going to pick out a Christmas tree. Does that sound okay?" Rose asked the two of them. "Petunia's meeting Vernon so it will just be the four of us."

"That sound like fun, Mrs… I mean Rose, I've never picked a tree before." James said.

"Alright, well you two got get warm clothes on and we'll leave." James and Lily and Lily's parents bundled up and made their way to a place selling Christmas trees and had a blast picking out the perfect tree. They eventually settled on a large, full Douglass and James and Charles strapped it to the top of the car. When they made it back to the house and the tree was set up Rose made hot chocolate and all four of them decorated the tree while listening to carols and telling jokes. James could not remember the last time he had such a good time. This would be the best Christmas ever.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling, Warner Brothers, and Scholastic Books no infringement is intended.

Chapter 21

The following morning it was decided that today would be the day to do some Christmas shopping. Lily really didn't have the chance to do much, so she would need to do that, and James, now that he knew Lily's family a little better, had a better idea what to get each of them.

"James do you need to make a run to Gringotts to exchange some money into pounds?" Lily asked, knowing that James may not keep muggle money around.

"No, I always keep a good amount around. I spent a good part of the summer after my parents death in muggle London, as some of the charities and investments are muggle accounts. So I should have plenty." James said.

"Oh good. You two get ready and I'll clean up here." Rose said to the two, as they left the table to get cleaned up and dressed to head out to shop.

They went to a shopping mall not to far from where they lived. While James had been in muggle areas before, he had never been to a mall this large. Lily grabbed his hand and pulled him forward when she saw he wasn't moving.

"Do know what you are going to get everyone?" Lily asked him.

"Yeah, I have a pretty good idea, just no idea where to get it all."

"Well, why don't you and I go together for a hour and get gifts for my parents and Petunia, if you want, and then my parents can take you to get your gift for me. That way you won't have to try and find the right place by yourself." Lily suggested.

"Sounds good to me." James said and Lily then explained the plan to her parents, who agreed that it was a good idea.

Lily and James went shop to shop after James had told Lily what he wanted to get them. James got her father a new watch, got her mother a beautiful set if earrings, and got Petunia a nice sweater. She could definitely say that James had great taste. An hour later, they took a break for lunch in the food court and then split up so that James could shop for Lily. James had no idea what to get her.

James knew he wanted to get her something meaningful and really make her understand how he felt about her. He began to feel recently that they were both ready to move their relationship further. He wasn't quite sure of Lily's feelings for him, but he knew he had to at least try. He led Lily's parents back to the store where he got Mrs. Evans earrings and looked around. If Rose and Charles were surprised by the fact that James wanted to buy their daughter jewelry they didn't show it. Rose noticed that he must have seen something that caught his attention, because he had stopped at a display and was starring at something. Rose made her way over to look, and her breath caught in her throat. She had never seen anything quite that beautiful.

"I think I found her gift Rose. Do you think she will like it?" James asked Rose.

"I think she will love it James. That is a truly beautiful piece of jewelry." Rose told James and she was right. The teardrop shaped emerald necklace and earrings gleamed in the lighting of the store. The piece was small and tasteful. If Lily was ever uncertain of James' feelings for her, she wouldn't be after she saw her gift. James had wonderful taste, Rose thought. That piece of jewelry would bring out the color of Lily's eyes like nothing else.

They made their way back to the meeting place in the food court where Lily was waiting for them.

"Was your trip successful James?" Lily asked.

"You'll have to tell me Christmas morning when you open your present." James said slyly with a small smile.

"I'll be sure to let you know." Lily said back returning the smile.

"Well, how about we head home now." Rose suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea, shopping always tires me out." James said, and they all laughed in reply.

* * *

Dinner was to be an interesting affair. Vernon was going to eat dinner with them. Lily was not looking forward to it. She knew that Vernon would be looking down at her and her family the entire dinner. She was right, sort of. Vernon arrived and the usual frown adorned his face as he looked around the house. Lily had to wonder how her parents put up with it while she was away. Charles greeted Vernon with a small smile and handshake and they headed towards the dining room. James was in the kitchen helping Rose chop vegetables when they two were introduced.

"Welcome Vernon, I hope you like stew. This is James Potter, Lily's friend from school, he's staying with us for the holidays."

"Hello Vernon, nice to meet you." James said with his hand offered.

"Yes hello." Vernon said gruffly and shook James' hand and let go as quickly as possible. There was an awkward silence after that with Vernon trying to make himself look important, while James went back to chopping vegetables and chatting quietly with Rose. Lily sat at the bar looking in to the kitchen watching her mother and James.

"What do you for a living Vernon?" James asked politely after he had finished his conversation with Rose.

"I work for a company that makes commercial drills. I just got promoted into the financial office. We handle the financial allocations for the company and its vendors." Vernon said very importantly.

"Wow, that's quite an accomplishment." James said honestly.

"Well not really, I never had any doubts about my ability. I've always been the best, and saw no reason to stop." Vernon said, completely serious. Lily had a hard time not scoffing at that, and James could not think of anything to say to that.

"What are your plans after you finish school Potter? Going to culinary school?" Asked Vernon with a condescending tone.

"Oh no, I've been thinking about law enforcement actually. Cooking is just a hobby I enjoy, it's actually very relaxing." James replied.

"The ladies love a man that can cook." Charles added and he and James and Lily and Rose laughed.

"I've always felt that cooking should be left to the women, men have much more important things to do with their time." Vernon said righteously.

"I disagree, personally. What better way to show you care for someone, then by making a meal for them. It show that person you feel they are worth the time and effort." James said. Lily and Rose smiled at James in agreement.

"I agree completely James." Charles said.

"You're a great cook Charles, your soufflés are to die for." Rose said to Charles who blushed in response.

"Well anyway, I don't know how to cook and have no desire to learn either." Vernon said with finality, and the rest at the table wisely decided to leave it at that.

The rest of dinner passed without incident. After dinner while dessert was being prepared Vernon pulled Charles aside to speak with him. Petunia had been in the bathroom and didn't see it happen, but Lily did and had a very good idea what it was about. She was happy for her sister, but not pleased with the man she had chosen. She just hoped Vernon would make her sister happy. A part of Lily couldn't help but want to cry. She knew she would never get her friendship with Petunia back. Vernon would never permit a friendship with Lily especially once Petunia told Vernon that Lily was a witch. The two of them placed so much importance on appearance, normalcy. Lily knew a friendship was out of the question, but she would do all she could to at least ensure that what little contact they had was at least pleasant.

* * *

Charles had known the conversation with Vernon had been coming. He didn't like the idea of his Petunia being with a man like Vernon the rest of her life, but if he made her happy he wouldn't stand in her way. So when Vernon asked for Petunia's hand he didn't hesitate to say yes; that it was up to Petunia if he were worthy of her. Inside however, a piece of his heart broke. He knew that if Vernon was in Petunia's life, Petunia and Lily would never become the friends they had once been, Vernon was too rigid a man to allow a woman with a gift like Lily's into his life. Vernon's appearance was much too important to him and he knew that Petunia would follow Vernon's example. He just hoped Lily would be okay with it, he knew how much she wanted a friendship with her sister, one that now would never happen. With a sigh, he rejoined his family for dessert.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

After Vernon left for the evening things calmed down as everyone was drained from the experience. James could see why Lily did not like Vernon, he was snooty and pretentious, but in James' mind he was not much of a threat. He was a pig, to be sure, but not much more.

James entered the den and noticed a letter on his bed. An owl must have dropped it off during dinner. He picked it up and noticed it was from Gringotts. He opened it and read:

Dear Mr. Potter,

Your presence is requested tomorrow for a discussion about the investments and charities you desire to place an interest in. Some new questions have arisen and we have need of your presence to discuss them. Please make your way to Gringotts tomorrow at your earliest convenience. If you are unable to make it, please send work with an owl.

May your day be fruitful,

Grabtock.

p.s. Ask for Gribgrop.

Well, it looked like James was going to have to make it to Gringotts tomorrow. He left the den and found Lily with her mother in the kitchen.

"Would you like some hot chocolate James?" Rose asked.

"I'd love some, thank you." James replied.

"Do you want to work on some homework tomorrow James? My parents don't have anything else planned." Lily asked James.

"Sure, but I got a letter from Gringotts and they need to see me tomorrow to discuss some knew questions about my investments. You can come alone if you'd like, maybe we can get some lunch in Diagon Alley, and then come home and work on our homework." James suggested.

"Oh, okay. Are you sure you don't mind me coming with you?" Lily asked, she always thought people preferred to do their banking in private.

"No, I don't mind. You can always not go in the meeting, if you'd feel more comfortable, but I really don't mind either way. It shouldn't take too long anyway." James said.

"What time are we leaving?"

"I figured we would leave around ten o'clock, then get an early lunch." James said.

"That sounds good, I guess I'll see you in the morning, I'm quite tired." Lily said as she finished her hot chocolate, placed her mug in the sink and left to her room. James noticed that Lily looked a little said.

"Is Lily alright Rose?" James asked.

"See looks a little sad. I'm not too sure what caused it. Hopefully she'll be happier tomorrow, no one should be sad around Christmas." Rose said.

"You are right. We'll I think I'll turn in too. Good night Rose, dinner was delicious." James said as he gave Rose a hug and kiss on the check and left to the den. He didn't notice the blush and pleased smile on Rose's face.

* * *

The next morning James woke up around eight o'clock and showered. He ate a quick breakfast and then returned to the den to look over some of the paperwork he kept about his investments. Hopefully the meeting would be straightforward, he didn't really know enough to deal with difficult questions. He wished he could bring Charles along, but Charles was spending the day with some of his friends. He would just have to deal with it on his own. He heard a knock on the door and looked up as Lily walked inside. He looked at his watch and realized that is was nearly ten o'clock. He hadn't realized so much time had passed.

"Are you nearly ready to leave James?" Lily asked.

"Oh, yes, I lost track of time. Shall we go?"

"Yes, we can apparate from the kitchen since it's well hidden." James followed Lily into the kitchen and they both apparated to Diagon Alley. They then continued onto Gringotts.

James business at Gringotts was not quite as quick as he thought. By the time the meeting had finished it was almost half passed twelve. The good thing, was that thanks to the conversations he has had with Charles, a lot of what the goblins had said to him actually made sense. So he wasn't confused nearly as much in the meeting. When James and Lily finally reentered the dim daylight they agreed to have lunch at a small café just outside of Diagon Alley in muggle London. When they were seated with their food they chatted.

"Thank you for letting me sit in on the meeting. It was all quite interesting, if not a little over my head." Lily said.

"Yeah, the goblins enjoy hearing themselves speak, especially when it involves money. I appreciate the fact that you came, it's much more tolerable to deal with when someone you actually enjoy spending time with is with you." Lily didn't respond verbally, but she did blush lightly.

"So, are you going to tell me what's bothering you?" James asked.

"It's nothing really. Just, I've been trying to form a friendship with Petunia, but now I feel that it is no longer a possibility. Last night, Vernon asked my father for Petunia's hand, and my father would never say no, even if he hated Vernon. So now, I feel, I know, that when Vernon asks and Petunia accepts, we will never form our friendship again."

"Why wouldn't you be able to form a friendship?" James asked.

"My ability to do magic has never been something Petunia particularly liked about me, and I know for a fact, that when Petunia tells Vernon he will have nothing to do with me. He places too much importance on his image, and befriending a witch would not be good for his image." Lily explained.

"So what are you going to do?"

"I am going to be there in any way I can for my sister. I will be supportive and just try to show her I care. The friendship may never happen, but we will always be sisters." Lily said a little sadly.

"I hope Petunia knows how lucky she is to have a sister like you. Things will work out Lily. Just you wait." James said reassuringly. They both realized that at some point during the conversation James had taken Lily's hand. James made it obvious that he was in no hurry to let go of her hand, and Lily made no effort to pull her hand away. Progress was finally being made, and both Lily and James knew it. They finished their lunch and made their way back to Diagon Alley so they could apparate back to Lily's home, walking much closer together than they had earlier.

Rose was in the kitchen when Lily and James popped back in and jumped in fright at the noise.

"I will never get used to that." Rose said with a laugh. Lily and James chuckled lightly.

"Sorry mum." Lily apologized.

"Oh no fuss. Your father and I were invited last minute to a Christmas party tonight at the neighbors and Petunia will be out with Vernon so you'll be on your own for dinner. Would you like some money for pizza?" James answered before Lily could.

"No, Rose, I'll make Lily and I something for dinner. It's about time she is exposed to my wonderful cooking skills." James said cheekily.

"Oh, well that sounds lovely. I admit, I'm a bit jealous, that sounds much better than a party with the Petersons. But what can you do. You, Lily, must tell me how good his cooking is." Rose said with a bright smile.

"I'll do one better, I'll make another dinner one night you and Charles are home." James offered.

"I'll take you up on that offer. Well, you two enjoy your evening, I need to start getting ready." Rose said and made her way upstairs to dress up for the party.

"So, I'm to be exposed to your mad culinary talents am I? What's on the menu tonight, Chef James?" Asked Lily. James browsed through the cabinets and found some very important ingredients.

"Well Lily, do you like pasta?"

"I love pasta." Lily replied.

"Well then give me some room, so I can create a masterpiece." James said and Lily took a place at the bar so she could watch James work. She had to admit to herself that there was nothing more attractive than a man that could cook. And from appearances James could cook. She couldn't wait to eat.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, Warner Brothers and Scholastic Books, no infringement is intended.

I wanted to take just a little time again to thank those who have review, I really can't expain how reassuring and encouraging it to find reviews waiting for me. So thank you again. I hope you continue to enjoy the story.

Chapter 23

All Lily could say was that dinner was delicious. James' pasta dish was easily one of the best she had ever tasted. Lily couldn't deny, though, that the best part of the dinner was the conversation and the company. A lot of things had been resolved over dinner.

"Well, dig in." James said. Lily didn't hesitate to start putting the delicious looking and smelling pasta on her plate.

"I have to admit, I really was surprised when you said you could cook. I always figured you had house elves cook for you." Lily admitted.

"Well that was true sometimes, but my mum loved to cook. She thought it was important to teach me. I remember when I was a little kid, standing on a stool chopping vegetables while she told me stories about how my father would have won her over quicker if he had cooked for her." James said making Lily smile.

"What were your parents like?" Lily asked.

"My dad was the strongest person you could ever know, without being unemotional and harsh. He was a great father. He always expected great things from me, and I finally feel like I am living up to the potential he saw for me. My mum was the best mum you could ask for. She was the source of my mischievous side, even though if she were here she would never admit it. She made me laugh, but was also always there when I needed someone to talk to." James said, looking wistful.

"I wish I could've met them."

"They would have loved you, especially knowing that you keep me in line and bring me down to size." James said.

"I haven't needed to do that this year. I can't tell you how refreshing it was to start school this year and have you act like…like a great guy." Lily finished with a blush.

"I have to admit how great it is to have a conversation with you and have you smile and laugh with me. You have a great laugh." James said. Lily knew then that the conversation had turned serious. She knew, it was her turn to take a chance, as James had been the one to take all the chances in the previous years. She did, in fact take the chance, once they had finished dinner and moved in front of the fire with some hot chocolate.

"I think what we need to do now is talk about us James. I think we both know there is something happening, the only question now, is what we do about it." Lily said and took a deep breath in relief as she finally got her statement out. James was surprised that Lily had taken the initiative, and had to thank her, as he had still been trying to find his nerve.

"You're right. When I asked you out all of those times in years past, I've realized recently that I never actually knew you. I had this image of you in my head, and placed you on this pedestal. Now that I know you, I've realized you are nothing like I had imagined you to be. You've become real to me. I know you, we've shared things with each other that we've never shared with anyone else, you've become much more than anything my imagination could come up with." James said, finally managing to get past his trepidations.

"What does that mean for us James?" Lily asked.

"For me, at least, it means that I want to be with you. I want you to be my girlfriend. I want to impress you with my cooking, I want wonderful nights like this to be wonderful dates. But I'm also in no hurry, and I will take anything you are willing to give me. If you're not ready for more, then I'll wait. And if you really just don't feel that way for me, then I'll accept just being your friend, no matter how much I want more." James admitted, and Lily really appreciated his candor.

"I do feel that way for you. And more importantly I am ready for more. I want the same things you want. The truth is, I think we'll be great for each other." Lily admitted and when she saw the brilliant smile on James' face she felt her heart warm.

"So, to make it official, Lily will you be my girlfriend?" James asked.

"Yes, I would love to be your girlfriend." Lily said with a slight giggle. There was awkwardness for a while, before James finally took the initiative this time and kissed Lily for the very first time. As far as kisses go, it was pretty chaste, but it had enough pure feeling behind it to make up for the lack of passion. Passion would come later, once the they had both become more comfortable with the change from friendship to a relationship.

* * *

Lily and James spent the rest of the evening talking and exchanging more than a few chaste kisses. When Charles and Rose arrived home from their party, they found the two cuddled up on the sofa talking quietly. Rose knew, from seeing them together like that, that they had finally taken the leap into a relationship. She was ecstatic, and more importantly, she saw the radiant smile on Lily's face as she looked and talked with James. They would be good together.

Charles also noticed the change with Lily and James, and while he may not have been as happy as his wife he had to admit to himself that he was extremely happy. The look on his Lily's face showed him everything he needed to know. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen her smile like that. So in his mind, James Potter was alright with him.

"How was the pasta Lily? Was everything he said it would be?" Rose asked a little cheekily, judging by the light flush of her cheek, she had probably had a few glasses of wine at the party.

"Oh, mum, it was delicious. You'll find out when he cooks for all of us soon." Lily replied. She paused and then decided that her parents should be made aware of the change in her and James' relationship. "James and I thought we should tell you that we have talked and decided to start a relationship." Lily realized after she told them, that the change in their relationship must have been pretty obvious, because her parents did not look surprised. They did, however, look really happy.

"Oh, I am so thrilled. I wondered how long it would take you two to reach this point." Rose gushed. Lily and James accepted warm hugs willingly from Rose and the four chatted a little longer before it got late.

The night came to a close when Rose yawned.

"We'll I think that is our cue to head up to bed, we'll see you in the morning. congratulations you two." Charles smiled, shook hands with James, kissed Lily's cheek and helped his wife up to their room for some rest. James and Lily wished each other good night with a final kiss and headed to their separate rooms for the evening.

* * *

Neither James nor Lily could complain about how the evening had gone. Both were content, even more than content, they were extremely happy. James made Lily happier than she could ever remember being. They connected in a way Lily had never connected with anyone else. He understood her, offered her advice, and more than anything, he listened. It was amazing to her how far she and James had come, and she was so glad they had.

James was having similar thoughts. He got what he had always wanted, and it was even better than he had imagined. The reality was much better than what he had imagined, just as he told Lily. It was amazing to actually know Lily, and talk with her and listen and offer advice, and receive the same in return. He was incredibly happy, and he vowed never to screw it up.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

The next morning dawned Christmas Eve. Lily woke with a smile on her face once she remembered what had happened between her and James the night before. The way she felt with James was amazing and she hoped it would stay that way. She couldn't wait to see him. Today, though, they would actually have to work on some of their homework.

James woke in a similar fashion, the smile that overtook his face was so large he was almost afraid his face would get stuck like that. Lily made him so happy, and they both complimented each other so well. He got up and showered and made his way into the kitchen. Lily had her back to him, obviously trying to make breakfast.

"Good morning Lily." James greeted, and Lily turned around and they shared a small kiss and a warm hug. "Good morning James." Lily returned with a slight blush but big smile. She turned back around to what she was doing, James wasn't sure what she was doing.

"Umm…what exactly are you doing Lily?" James asked carefully.

"Well, I'm trying to made breakfast, I was planning on scrambled eggs."

"Oh, would you like some help?" James offered.

"Sure, will you get some cheese, mushrooms, and green onions out of the refrigerator?"

"Here you go." James said and the two proceeded to make a large batch of scrambled eggs, enough for the entire family. They were talking and giggling throughout, and always seemed to have physical contact with each other. Petunia entered the dining room first and immediately noticed the closer relationship between the two. She was too busy basking in her own glory to really care.

"Good morning Petunia would you like some scrambled eggs?" James asked when he carried the frying pan to the table.

"I'd love some." Petunia said.

"You look happy this morning, have a good evening with Vernon last night?" Lily asked her sister.

"Oh it was wonderful. He proposed!" Petunia practically screamed.

"That fantastic Petunia, I'm so happy for you!" Lily said sincerely and Petunia even allowed her a small hug.

"Congratulations Petunia! I wish you and Vernon the best." James said with a smile.

"When's the wedding going to be any idea?" Lily asked as she sat down and dished up her own plate. James sat next to her and Charles and Rose entered the kitchen.

" We haven't discussed any of that yet it only happened last night. But hopefully in the summer." Petunia said.

"Oh Petunia, did Vernon propose? Let me see the ring." Rose gushed. As she sat down on the other side of Petunia and Charles sat between Rose and James.

"Oh, it's beautiful. Congratulations honey!" Rose said looked at the beautiful diamond right on Petunia's finger.

"Yes congratulations dear, Vernon asked for your hand the other night at dinner." Charles added.

"Your sister and James had a wonderful night too last night. They started their own relationship." Rose told Petunia.

"I'm happy for you two, I think we were all wondering when it would happen." Petunia said, and she did in fact, seem genuinely happy for her sister and James.

"So, what is everyone up to today?" Rose asked.

"Well I need to start collecting some magazines to start planning after the holidays are over."

"Lily and I really need to start working on some of our homework. After that, it looks like it might snow, a walk might be nice." James said and looked over to Lily for confirmation. Lily was surprised that James had mentioned doing homework but agreed anyway.

"Yes, that sounds good." Lily said. "I'll need to wrap some presents as well, I've yet to get around to that."

"Me too." James said.

* * *

The family separated and Lily and James decided to work on homework in the den, as it had a nice big desk. There was enough room for two chairs so they could both work at the desk. Despite the excitement of their new relationship, they were both still able to buckle down and get their work done. They finished nearly half of all their school work in only a few hours, the benefit of having two people working. They finished just after lunch and were trying to figure out what they were going to do for the rest of the afternoon, before it was time for dinner. James suddenly had an idea.

"Lily, I was thinking of going to visit my parents, I haven't been able to get there since the summer. Would you like to come? I could show you where I live as well." James proposed to Lily.

" I would love to go James."

Lily and James told Rose and Charles, who both looked solemn but gave no hesitation in allowing them to go.

"Dinner should be around 5:30 so try and make it back then, otherwise be safe." Rose said as she hugged them both and watched them leave.

The two apparated to Godric's Hollow. They walked the short distance to the cemetery and James led the way to his parents graves. The flowers he had brought over the summer had long since dried up and died and many leaves from the birch trees over head had fallen and mixed with the snow covering the gravestones. James kneeled down to wipe off the snow and debris, he conjured a poinsettia and place it next to the stone, its red leaves contrasting sharply with the brilliant while snow it sat on.

Lily watched as James meticulously cleaned off the stone and conjured a beautiful poinsettia for Christmas. She couldn't help but feel tears form in her eyes as she heard James talking quietly to his parents.

"This is Lily. She just agreed to be my girlfriend. You'd like her, she's beautiful, smart, and she keeps me in line. I'm sure you'd find that one of her more redeeming qualities." James said to his parents with a chuckle, he heard Lily's laugh from behind him, she must have heard what he said.

"I wish I could have met you, Mr. and Mrs. Potter, to tell you how wonderful I think your son is, we've both come a long way."

"Some more than others." James added.

The two spent a while longer talking to James' parents as well as with each other, before they made their way to James home. They decided to walk, it was cold, but beautiful. They enjoyed the time together, holding hands and talking about everything and nothing. When James' house came into view, Lily couldn't help but gasp. It was a large home, a manner really, but it looked comfortable and lived in. Not like the stuffy environment she expected. It was a light yellow color, several stories with a large bit of land surrounding it.

"This is beautiful James." Lily said as they walked up to the front door. Lily stopped when James did, and she could see the hesitation on James' face.

"We don't have to go inside James, it you're not ready." Lily said softly.

"No, I need to do this. Just, stay with me okay?" James asked with determination and pain in his voice and visible on his face.

"Of course, James. I'll be here the whole time." Lily reassured and they stepped inside.

The house looked exactly as James remembered it. A small layer of dust covered everything given that no one had lived inside since the summer. James gained confidence as soon as he walked inside, and having Lily at his side, with her hand in his made it much easier. He gave Lily the full tour, and Lily was fascinated by the generations of Potters that hung on the wall. She especially like the baby pictures of James that hung on the wall. When they finished the tour, they made their way into the back yard and sat down on the bench swing on the porch.

"Are you okay James?" Lily asked, snuggling into James' side.

"I'm doing surprisingly well. I needed to do this, but knew I didn't have the strength to do it myself. Thank you for coming with me, and staying with me." James said earnestly. Lily couldn't resist the impulse to hug him.

"Thank you for sharing this with me. It means a lot that you would let me in despite how painful it is for you." Lily said.

They stayed in each others arms for a while longer and eventually made their way back to the front and apparated back to Lily's home. When they walked inside the door Rose and Charles were still in the living room as the roast cooked in the oven. Rose embraced James as soon as his coat was off. James couldn't remember that last time he felt this way. He felt as if it was his own mother was hugging him. He whispered thank you in Rose's ear slightly choked with emotion. Lily and Charles watched both feeling a warmth in their hearts that had nothing to do with Christmas. James was home.


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the Property of J.K. Rowling, Warner Brothers and Scholastic Books, no infringement is intended.

Chapter 25

_The air was thick with smoke as James hid behind a large rubbish container outside his family's favorite restaurant in Godric's Hollow. He could hear the screaming of curses as well as cries of pain from those getting hit with curses. He could see the brightly colored flashes of light accompanying each spell cast. He could hear his mother and father fight vigorously. Then he heard the worst sound in the world. He heard his mother cry out in pain and then the sound of a body, his mother's body, hit the wooden porch in from of the restaurant. He heard the agonized yell of his mother's name in his father's voice, then a second cry of pain and a second body, his father's body hit the same wooden porch. There was silence for a moment as James was trapped inside his own head, not being able to believe what had just happened. When he awoke from his trance, the attackers in masks and black cloaks had gone. He made his way over to the bodies of his parents, his father laying near his mother's feet, obviously he had tried to make his way to her when he heard her fall. James left his hiding place from behind the rubbish bin and knelt down, cradling his mother's head in his lap. They were both already dead, but her eyes were open, seemingly staring into his face, begging him to help; to do something. James' scream echoed in the night._

James sat up in his bed in the Evans' den a scream dying on his lips. He was covered in sweat but was shivering and nauseous from the vision of his most disturbing nightmare. More like a memory. The door to the den cracked open and Lily peaked her head in and saw James bent over the side of his small bed with his head in his hands and his face very pale.

"James are you alright?" Lily asked with great concern as she made her way over to him. She sat down next to him and put an arm around him. She immediately felt the sweat, as well as the shivers of his body. She grabbed an extra blanket her mother had placed in the corner of the room and draped it over both of their shoulders snuggling into his side.

"Just had a bad dream." James said shakily. It didn't seem to matter what Lily did, he still felt like he was freezing.

"What was it about?"

"The night my parents died. Just reliving what happened that afternoon." He said and pulled Lily closer to his side.

"Do you think it was because of our trip earlier?"

"Probably. What are you doing up?" James asked, realizing how late it was.

"I woke up earlier and couldn't get back to sleep, so I thought I'd come down for some tea. I was in the kitchen when I heard your scream."

"Oh. I'm sorry." James said. He still felt cold but the nausea was slowly dissipating.

"Do you think you'll be able to go back to sleep?" Lily asked.

"No, I don't think so."

"Well then, I'll be right back." Lily left the cocoon of blankets and went to the kitchen and came back with two cups of tea. She made her way back next to James, helped him dry his pajamas and rearranged him so they were propped up against the pillows and under the covers. They spent the next hours talking quietly before the comfort of the tea and the company of each other calmed them enough to fall asleep curled up together.

* * *

Rose awoke somewhat early the next morning. She was concerned, because she thought she heard a noise last night, from downstairs. The fact that it was Christmas morning meant that she was up early anyway. She decided to check on James. Lily had told her that James occasionally had terrible nightmares about the death of his parents and assumed that it was him last night. She peeked inside the den and saw Lily and James curled up, comfortable on the bed asleep. She saw the two empty mugs on the side table and the missing blanket from the corner and realized the Lily must have been up with a bit of insomnia she was prone with and heard James cry out. She hoped Lily was able to help James, and judging by the fact that he was sleeping meant she probably had. She left the den as quietly as she entered and made her way into the kitchen to begin breakfast.

* * *

James woke up first. He couldn't remember ever waking up being so warm and comfortable before. When he felt the weight on his side, he remembered what had happened last night and realized that he and Lily must have fallen asleep. He stayed as still as possible, not wanting to wake Lily, remembering her trouble sleeping and instead alternated between watching Lily sleep and staring at the ceiling remembering the vivid picture of his dream. He sighed, wondering if that dream would ever go away. Lily stirred next to him and eventually slowly opened her eyes. Lily stiffened briefly but relaxed once she remembered it was James.

"Good morning." James said to her sleepily.

"Good morning. How are you?"

"I'm okay; better thanks to you. Thank you for staying with me. Having you here with me helped me relax enough to fall asleep peacefully. I've never been able to do that before."

"I'm glad you were able to get some rest. But it was a two way street. I was able to fall asleep too, it usually takes me hours. So thank you." Lily said with a crooked smile. They both chuckled.

"We should probably get up, I think I can smell breakfast cooking. I love the smell of cooking bacon. Oh! Happy Christmas Lily!"

"Happy Christmas James!" The two exchanged a Christmas kiss then made their way into the kitchen to see Rose cooking away at the stove.

"Good morning you two. Are you alright James?" Rose said. Lily had to admit that she was surprised that her mother wasn't upset that she had just left James' room, having obviously been sleeping there.

"I'm alright Rose. I had one of my nightmares last night." He told her.

"I was up and couldn't sleep and heard him cry out when I was making tea. I went in to help him and we must have fallen asleep." Lily explained.

"I figured as much. I'm glad you were able to help each other. You both look quite rested."

"Yeah, we feel rested." Lily said and hugged her mother. She whispered a thank you in her mother's ear knowing the level of trust her mother had in, it her meant a lot. Her mother's response was simply to squeeze Lily's shoulders.

"Happy Christmas you two, now dig in, breakfast is up." Rose said as Charles and Petunia made their way to the table and they all ate a big breakfast. Lily and James exchanged looks and would occasionally grasp fingers under the table. They were both glad that the other was there to help the night previously. They also couldn't ignore how good it felt to wake up in each other's arms. The warmth and comfort the other provided was irreplaceable. The family made their way to the living room and spread around the room, Lily and James on one couch, Rose and Charles on the other and Petunia on the chair in between. It was time to open presents.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

The Evans always took turns opening presents. So as time passed and more and more wrapping paper was shed and covering the floor it was time for James to present his presents to each Evans family member. He started with Charles. Charles opened the small package and was shocked by the beautiful watch inside. It had a large head, black with a stainless steal widely linked band. The watch was high tech and required no winding to keep time and was water proof to a depth of 300m. It had all the markings of an expensive but tasteful watch. Charles loved it, and expressed his pleasure to James by shaking his hand. Rose was next. James handed her a somewhat flat small box. She pulled off the wrapping paper and lifted the velvet box. Inside was the most beautiful pair of amethyst earrings Rose had ever seen. Amethyst was her favorite stone, next to diamonds of coarse, because they were her birthstone. When Rose questioned James, he admitted that he had asked Lily. Rose gave Lily a smile and James a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek. Next was Petunia. Petunia seemed a little surprised that James had gotten her a gift, her mother had nearly had to force her to get him a gift, but she smiled and said thank you wondering what he had gotten her. She took the paper off of the rectangular box and took of the lid. Inside was probably the softest sweater she had ever felt in a gorgeous maroon color. James again admitted that Lily helped with the size and color. Petunia was pleased with her gift and said thank you.

Lily was next and James couldn't help but be nervous. He hoped she would like what he had gotten her. James handed Lily a package, his hands shaking. Lily noticed and gave him a smile. James waited with baited breath and as Lily opened the velvet box her jaw dropped. She felt tears gathering in her eyes as she looked at the beauty of the jewelry facing her. The emeralds in the necklace and earrings were a perfect match of her eyes and the simple beauty of the necklace showed her how well James really knew her. She looked up at James and gave him the biggest smile she could and jumped from the couch and into his arms. She really couldn't express how happy she felt. They pulled away from each other and Lily kissed James quickly and they sat back down. After the excitement from James gifts died down they went through the rest of the presents. They spent the rest of the day relaxing and sharing stories then ate an early dinner.

James really enjoyed Christmas with Lily's family. He knew it couldn't replace the fact that he wasn't with his family, but it was the next best thing.

* * *

The week in between Christmas and New Years was spent finishing homework and relaxing. James had made an additional trip to Gringotts with Lily going with him again. They were able to spend time and have their first official date together. They spent much of that date talking, laughing and giggling as well as enjoying dinner before they returned to Lily's home. It was a time to just be together alone and get closer in their relationship.

Lily and James returned into the kitchen to hear an argument with her parents and Petunia. Rose and Charles wanted Petunia to tell Vernon about Lily's gift of magic. There was a tense silence in the room when the announcement was heard. It was clear that Petunia had made the decision only because her parents had asked her to.

"Your mother and I feel that it is best to start your relationship as honest as possible, Vernon has the right to know that your sister has this gift." Charles said sternly to Petunia.

"Vernon will not like the fact that Lily is different. This could ruin everything." Petunia said glaring back at her parents.

"Then perhaps he isn't worth it Petunia. Lily is your sister, doesn't that mean anything to you. She has tried so hard to get closer to you, and all you've done is push her away." Rose said sadly to her eldest daughter.

"Lily has done nothing but make my life harder since she started at the school for freaks. I've done everything I could to distance myself and all you all do is drag me back in. Vernon is my way out of the freakish atmosphere. I will tell him, but I will do whatever he asks me to in regard to Lily. He is normal, he is my family now." Petunia said loudly.

"You'd give up your family for a man you've only known a short time. You'd sacrifice everything we've given you for someone who will hate your sister for having a gift. I thought we taught you better than that Petunia." Charles said sadly.

"I don't know what you expect from me. This is the man that I love; the man I plan to spend the rest of my life with. I hope that you will respect me enough to respect my decision."

"I don't know how you can expect us to understand and respect you decision when it will destroy your relationship with you sister. I can't accept that you'd willingly give up your sister to make a man happy." Charles said. He left the room and noticed Lily and James in the kitchen. Lily was crying and James was holding her trying to comfort her. Charles shared a small sad smile with James and continued upstairs.

"You should rethink your priorities Petunia. You've been given an amazing sister who wants to be your friend and you turn her away. I'm extremely disappointed and sad Petunia. I hope you don't live to regret your decision." Rose said and then followed her husband upstairs.

Lily and James did not hear the last part of the conversation as James led Lily back to the den to try and calm her down. James was extremely sad for Lily. James knew what it felt like to lose a family and now Lily was losing a piece of hers. All because her sister didn't know how wonderful she was. Lily eventually fell asleep in James arms and James stayed with her.

* * *

The following morning James left Lily sleeping on his bed and went into the kitchen for a glass of water. Petunia was sitting at the table reading a gossip rag magazine and looking like she slept quite peacefully the night before which made James even more angry than he already was. Lily was in the den sleeping with a broken heart because her sister pretty much admitted to hating her and here her sister looked like nothing at all was bothering her. James thought it best to ignore Petunia to avoid saying something he would regret.

Petunia looked up to see James grab a glass and fill it with water. She was angry that he didn't say good morning. She had no idea that he and Lily had overheard the conversation last night.

"Do I get a good morning or are you just going to ignore me?" Petunia asked snarkily.

"If you knew what I wanted to say to you I'm sure you'd rather I ignore you." James said back and Petunia couldn't ignore the hostility in his voice.

"What are you wanting to say James? You might as well be honest. I could honestly care less anyway."

"That much is obvious. Clearly, nothing your parents said to you last night has made it in to your celebrity gossipfilled brain." James said, frustrated with Petunia's disregard for everyone but herself.

"You heard that then? Well my parents shouldn't get involved in matters that do not concern them." Petunia said haughtily.

"Lily is a matter of concern of you parents is she not? She heard every word you said last night Petunia, and her heart broke. I don't think I will ever forgive you for the look I saw in her eyes last night." James said, a sad note to his voice when he mentioned Lily's distress.

"Lily's a tough girl James, she'll get over it." Petunia said uncaringly.

"You don't get it do you? She shouldn't have to get over it. You're here, she's here, that should be all that matters. That is all that matters to Lily, but it will never be enough for you. You have a family that loves you and would give you anything, and you can't even appreciate the fact that they exist. You're willing to deny them so you can be happy with someone who obviously has no respect for you or your family."

"You don't know what you're talking about. Vernon is a wonderful man." Petunia said.

"I hope your right. I hope you think he's worth it, because obviously he's worth more to you than your own family. I sincerely hope you don't regret your decision, but I would be extremely surprised if you didn't. Things like this always come up and bite you when you least expect it. You don't know how lucky you are, I'd give all the money I have to still have my family and here you are giving yours away. It's sad Petunia, really sad." James said and turned around and headed back to the den, Lily was still asleep when he arrived so he cuddled up with her again and drifted back into a light sleep.


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of J.K. Rowling, Warner Brothers and Scholastic books, not infringement is intended.

Chapter 27

The actual confrontation with Petunia took place away from the Evans home. So no one really knew what had taken place. Petunia acted normally when she was home, but for the rest of the holidays, Vernon did not come over to the Evan's home. So it was clear, that Vernon had taken the news exactly as they pictured he would, he would keep his distance.

Lily had accepted that there was very little chance of any sort of amiable relationship with Petunia. Her heart ached but she would live. James was being wonderful about the whole thing, trying to keep her busy and focused on her family and him, which really wasn't that hard to do. Lily kept her promise to herself that she would be civil to Petunia, she knew nothing she did would make it better, but she would do everything she could to keep it from getting worse.

* * *

New Years was a cheerful affair. Rose, Charles, Lily and James all spent the evening at home, and the Evans' had invited the Petersons, who had invited them to their Christmas Party, to join them. They were really just a nice middle-aged couple whose children were spending the evening with their friends. At midnight, they watched the fireworks over Buckingham Palace and each couple shared a kiss. The Petersons left soon after that, wanting to make sure that their children got home safely. Lily and James and Lily's parents spent another hour or so talking before they were all too tired to stay awake, they exchanged another kissed and then went to sleep.

* * *

With only a week left of vacation, Lily and James were both excited to get back to school. Things were very tense around the house, as Petunia avoided Lily as much as possible. James would miss Rose and Charles and they had already mentioned getting together over the summer. Lily and James were also excited about telling their friends about the change in their relationship as well as to see how their holidays had gone. They arrived at Platform 9 ¾ with plenty of time to spare. They stowed their trunks then went back out to spend some last moments with Charles and Rose before the other friends arrived. Sirius and Remus were the first to arrived, and it didn't take them long to realize that James was holding hands with and standing close to Lily. A grin slid across Sirius face, James looked really happy and comfortable with Lily's parents. Remus and Sirius stowed their trunks in the same compartment as Lily and James and made their way over.

"Hey guys, this is Rose and Charles, Lily's parents and this is Lily, my girlfriend." James introduced. Before pleasantries could be exchanged a shriek was heard from behind the. Apparently Marlene had heard James' introduction. Everyone was pleased to know that it was a happy shriek.

"Oh, Lily congratulations, you too James. It's about time!" Marlene said as she rushed over and embraced first Lily and then James.

"Well, thank you Marlene. You remember my parents." Lily said.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. It's wonderful to see you again. I hope you enjoyed your Christmas." Marlene said as she exchanged a hug with Rose and Charles.

"It was lovely Marlene. How was yours?" Rose asked.

"It was great. Not as good as Lily's it would appear. Don't think we won't talk more later." Marlene said to both Rose and Lily. Lily had to smile at Marlene's enthusiasm, it was only a fraction of how Lily felt, even a few weeks after getting together with James.

When the rest of the friends arrived, Lily and James said a final good-bye to Rose and Charles, with a promise to write to make plans for the summer and then boarded the train for their final trip to Hogwarts. With the exception of the short Head's meeting followed by the Prefect's meeting, the entire conversation revolved around everyone's holiday. James and Lily's relationship was also a large part of the conversation, as all of the friends were ecstatic for the friends happiness. Frank and Alice had managed to get together over the holiday and were closer than ever, and the couple agreed to a double date the next Hogsmeade weekend. Overall, all of the friends were all getting in the school mode after being away for three weeks. The last part of their seventh year was just beginning.

* * *

While Lily and James were mingling with Rose and Charles a young man was sitting alone outside the train waiting for it to leave. He just wanted to get the year over with. He saw the change in the relationship between Lily and James and felt his hatred for Potter grow. Severus Snape was not a happy man. He knew it was bound to happen, Lily and James had continued to get closer last term and spending the holidays together would make it more likely to grow even closer, which is obviously what happened. He would never give up on Lily, all he had to do was bide his time.

His holidays had been interesting. His family really cared very little for him so he spent little time with them. Instead he spent the majority of his holidays in the presence of Lucius Malfoy, and several of his friends. This group of people was under the leadership of a man who went by the name of Lord Voldemort and was very traditional in its ideals about pure blood within the wizarding world. For the first time in his life Snape felt like he belonged somewhere. Voldemort was beginning to rely quite heavily on his potions skills, and that made Snape's pride grow, no one had ever appreciated his skills before. His job right now was to lay low, and as inconspicuously as possible feel out people for their possible support of Lord Voldemort, be he was to avoid calling attention to himself at all costs. He had no doubt he would succeed.

Finally it was time to board the train and finish his seventh year. Snape couldn't have been more pleased with this, he was ready to begin his life in the real world away from the pretentiousness and hypocrisy of those at Hogwarts with him. He knew that those people who have spent years undermining him and ridiculing him would get what they deserved, Lord Voldemort would see to that. With renewed energy Snape reclined in his compartment, ready for the second half of the school year to begin.

For all those at Hogwarts, it was clear that during this second term had Hogwarts battle lines would begin to be drawn, even though they would remain largely hidden until the final blowout would come a few years in the future.


	28. Chapter 28

A/N I just wanted to apologize for the wait, I've been sick and my mom was in an accident so I've had all of that to deal with, but without further adieu, the final chapter of The Forces that Make us Grow.

Epilogue

The rest of seventh year passed much without incident. James and Lily's relationship continued to grow, as did Alice's and Frank's. Frank even proposed to Alice just after graduation and the two were married a year later. Sirius and Marlene's relationship didn't last past graduation, both felt that they just weren't right for each other, they did manage to remain friends. James and Lily got married six months after Frank and Alice, Lily's parents were ecstatic for the couple and couldn't wait for grandchildren.

Petunia and Lily really had very little contact with each other after Lily finished at Hogwarts. Lily attended Petunia's wedding with James during the summer and Petunia attended Lily's wedding to James, but they rarely spoke. Lily always missed her sister, but had her parents and James to spend time with, as well as their friends so her life was complete.

Three years after graduation James and Lily had a handsome baby boy they named Harry. He was a beautiful and happy baby who looked just like his father, but had his mother's gorgeous green eyes. Lily and James never thought they could be any happier together, but were amazed at the love they felt as soon as they looked into baby Harry's eyes. Sirius was named godfather, naturally, and he doted on the boy as much as Lily would let him.

Severus Snape left Hogwarts and went immediately to join Lucius and all the others following Lord Voldemort. More and more purebloods joined Voldemort and served as his faithful followers, they called them selves Death Eaters and served to rid the Wizarding World of the mud blood scum that was soiling the pure wizard society. They grew in strength and numbers, as did the number of enemies working against them.

A counter movement was formed called the Order of the Phoenix and was run by Professor Dumbledore. James, Lily, Sirius, Frank, Alice, Peter, Remus and Marlene all joined and were serving to bring an end to Voldemort and those who worked for him. Shortly after young Harry was born a women seer made a prophesy concerning several young boys born at the end of July. One being Harry Potter the other being Neville Longbottom, Frank and Alice's son. The prophesy described how the dark Lord Voldemort would mark one boy as his equal, that boy would be the only one able to defeat Lord Voldemort. Only time would tell which boy would be marked. To try and protect their family, Lily and James went into hiding, they used Peter as their secret keeper, thinking that Sirius would be too obvious. They hid away for months in Godric's Hollow trying to wait out until it was safe to come free. Lily's mother and father were killed while she was in hiding when Voldemort tried to use them as bait to draw them out. Lily and James used a potion to change their appearance in order to attend the funerals. They were both devastated by the loss.

Snape, who was still in love with Lily, had heard Voldemort talk about a plan to kill James and Lily, as well as Harry. For it was little Harry Potter that Voldemort felt was his greatest threat knowing how strong James and Lily were. Snape, unable to believe that Voldemort would attempt to kill the women he loved went to Dumbledore to act as a spy. However it was too late. Peter betrayed the Potters, giving away their position to Voldemort. On October 31, 1981 Voldemort and his followers went into Godric's Hollow and killed James Potter. They went upstairs to kill Lily and Harry. Lily tried to protect Harry and died bravely protecting him. Then, something amazing happened. Voldemort attempted to use the killing curse on Harry but it backfired and hit Voldemort instead. Harry Potter survived.

Sirius Black went to track down Peter that traitor but was captured in the firefight and sent to Azkaban Prison. They believed him to be the traitor, he would spend many years in prison. Remus, upon the tragic deaths of his friends and the betrayal of another fled into exile working odd jobs to make a living, he too would not be seen again for many years.

Harry Potter was sent to live with Petunia and Vernon Dursley, Lily's sister and her husband. Petunia, still angry at her sister, treated little Harry horribly. It was not until Harry's eleventh birthday that he was rescued. But that is an entirely different story to tell, as the story of Harry Potter is an extremely exciting one. He was the boy-who-lived, and he would be the one to save the world, again.

THE END!


End file.
